Finding Family
by gothicbutterfly95
Summary: AU. When Maria discovers a family member she didn't even know she had, she, with help from Captain von Trapp, embarks on a journey to help him find his place in the world. Along the way, she might just find her place as well.
1. The Chapter Before the First

The sun was just peeking its head over the horizon, bleeding orange and yellow hues through the bluey-black sky.

Georg von Trapp could tell that it was going to be a beautiful day. He was normally awake at this time of the morning; years in the Imperial Navy had seen to that. And for Salzburg, days like this were rare, and he liked to make the best of them.

He grabbed his swimming trunks from the closet, having decided to go for a swim in the lake before breakfast was served and his attention would be in demand from the rest of the household.

* * *

He swam around the lake for just over an hour. By then, the sun was well and truly making its ascent into the sky, which was, as Georg had deduced, clear and blue.

Reluctantly he emerged from the lake, knowing he still had to shower and get dressed before breakfast. However, as he passed the kitchen on his way back to the master suite he was waylaid by a delightful smell.

The shower could wait.

Like a moth to a flame, Georg felt himself being dragged inside the kitchen. It seemed the cook had left the loaf out to cool. Not wanting to ruin the simple, mouth-watering dish, or his appetite, he decided to make himself some tea; simply as an excuse to stay in the kitchen with the bread and its delicious aroma. He pulled a cup, saucer and milk jug out of the cupboard and went to fetch his robe while the kettle was boiling.

* * *

Over on the other side of the villa, Maria had awoken at the break of day, and hadn't been able to get back to sleep again.

Knowing that no good would come just lying down waiting until breakfast time, she had got up, had a warm shower and dressed. She briefly peeped in on the children, but from the noise coming from inside their bedrooms, or lack thereof, they were all still asleep and she had nothing to worry about.

Figuring it was still too early to wake them up to get ready for breakfast, she decided to take a walk outside to get some fresh air. But as she walked down the stairs and across the ground floor, headed for the doors leading out to the terrace, she was dragged in another direction from a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen.

As she neared the kitchen, she saw that the Captain was inside, pouring himself a cup of tea. His back was to her, his hair was wet and he was wearing nothing but his bathrobe and socks.

Her mouth flew open and she let out the tiniest of gasps. She decided her best option was to get out of here now, and carry on with her intended task. She tried to tiptoe past the kitchen without causing any disturbance, but he noticed her anyway.

"Ah, Fraulein," he said, turning around. Maria's suspicions about his attire were all but confirmed as her employer stood in front of her in less articles of clothing than she'd ever seen before.

Which in itself was a sight she had never expected to see.

Thankfully, courtesy of the tie at the waist, the robe was held closed, but Maria still averted her eyes and hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Would you care to join me?"

For a second she was frozen to the spot. Was this allowed? What about the Baroness? She was the woman he was courting; the children's new mother. She was their governess. Moreover, she was going to be a nun. And here he was asking her to join her in the kitchen, before breakfast.

But for some reason, a reason she couldn't name, she found the idea of being alone with the Captain somewhat inviting. She hadn't had any time where it was just the two of them since she had arrived at the villa three weeks ago. He was her employer after all, and she felt responsible to get to know him on some level, especially after what she had heard from the children.

She nodded hesitantly and walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the table, while the Captain leaned against the island. "Would you like some tea?"

She nodded again, more confidently this time, and watched him turn around to open the cupboard and take out another cup and saucer.

"Milk?"

"Yes, please," she said. "And a spoonful of sugar."

The Captain nodded. "Certainly," he chuckled, retrieving the sugar pot and a spoon and laying them on the table in front of her.

"You don't have sugar in your tea?" she asked, spooning the sugar into her cup.

He shook his head. "I never really had a sweet tooth, as they say. I think Liesl and Kurt inherited that from their mother."

Maria inhaled before giving the Captain a small smile. He smiled back.

It had been less than a week since Georg had returned from Vienna. In the past week, for the first time in years, he was slowing down, taking in everything and absorbing the beauty of the simpler things in life.

Things such as stopping by the kitchen to smell freshly baked bread and having tea with the governess before breakfast.

"Well my parents used to give me a spoonful of sugar in my drink when I was sick," she continued. "They said it helped the medicine go down."

Georg chuckled again and sat down at the table opposite the governess. "Did it work?" he asked.

"Strangely enough, it did," she giggled. "I've been doing it ever since."

"Agathe had sugar in her tea," he said, gazing off into the distance. His eyes became unfocused. It was funny how a simple thing like a cup of tea could make him remember her. It was the first time he'd mentioned his late wife in years. It was also the first time in years he could think about her without feeling like his heart was being ripped from his chest.

"I'm so sorry," was the soft reply.

Georg shook his head. "Thank you, Fraulein. But I think everything will be alright. You brought music back into the house, brought us back together as a family."

"I'm glad I could help," she murmured. "And if there's anything else I can do, please let me know."

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. "And likewise, if I can help you in any way please let me know."

"I don't think that will be necessary sir."

He rose from the chair, and placed his now empty cup in the sink.

"Nevertheless…" He looked back at her. He could never repay her for what she had done; she had quite literally given him his life back.

"Please think about it."

* * *

 **NEW STORY! YAY! And this is going to be big. Between this and the other chapters I've already written, it's my longest story ever. And we're nowhere near close to the end. If you are part of the TSOM ProBoards, you may recognise this piece. I never ended up publishing it here, but I thought it worked very well for this story.  
As I've already got more chapters written, I will be publishing one a week until they're all up. By which point there should (hopefully) be at least another one. **


	2. (I) Unexpected News

Georg relaxed in his chair and sipped his glass of water. He had decided to forego his morning coffee after the cup of tea he'd had less than an hour ago during his unexpected encounter with the governess.

He glanced up at her, sipping her own drink as she smiled at something his youngest daughter had said that he hadn't caught. His mind went back to the thoughts he'd had earlier; how much the household had changed since her arrival.

Other than him, Fraulein Maria was the only adult present at the table. Neither of his guests were early risers. Max still jokingly declared he needed to catch up on the sleep he never got during his Navy days, even though that had been over twenty years ago; and Elsa had been shocked when, on the night before their departure from Vienna, Georg suggested they leave at eight o'clock in the morning to avoid too much traffic, and less than half an hour after the children had sung to her, had disappeared to her room for a nap.

 _The children._

The children were chattering happily, either to their governess, or simply amongst themselves. The sight made Georg smile. The scene in front of him wasn't that dissimilar from breakfast time when Agathe had been alive. He hadn't realised until his return home how much he had missed moments like these. As he caught a glimpse of Fraulein Maria once again, his smile grew wider. She was the sole reason for the change, and he would never be able to thank her enough.

Georg's smile vanished when Franz entered the room. The old butler seemed to be in a constantly sour mood. A mood that, however minimal or brief, appeared to carry on to anyone in the room. He had worked for the family for as long as Frau Schmidt; since the earliest days of his marriage; and Georg didn't think he'd seen the man smile even once.

"The mail sir," he announced, abrupt as always, shoving a pile of letters in front of Georg's face.

"Thank you Franz," he took the letters and flipped through them as the butler left the dining room. Some bills and bank statements. A couple things for Max and Elsa. A letter from Agathe's parents.

But, at the very bottom of the pile was something most unexpected.

"Uh, Fraulein?" he called.

"Captain?" the young governess looked up; quizzical. She was clearly at a loss as to why her employer would be calling her name while looking at the mail.

"There's a letter for you."

"For me sir?"

"Maria Rainer," he stated, reading the name on the envelope. "That is you, is it not?"

"Yes sir," she rose from her seat and began making her way across the room. "Who is it from?"

Maria couldn't think of anyone who would be sending her letters. She didn't have any relatives aside from her uncle; who hadn't wanted her to begin with, and certainly wouldn't want her now, and contact with the few friends she had had in her past had ceased when she became a postulant.

Outside these walls, she had no one except the Sisters at the Abbey.

"Um, the Reverend Mother of Nonnberg," the Captain reported, turning the envelope over in his hand and reading the return address.

He turned the envelope over once more and held it out for Maria to take. She turned it over herself, still puzzled, as she walked back to the other end of the room.

Indeed it was addressed to _Maria Rainer, care of Villa von Trapp, 53 Hellbrunner Allee, Aigen_. And the back clearly showed the letter had come from Nonnberg Abbey.

Sitting back down in her seat at the end of the table, she opened the envelope. Inside was another envelope and a single sheet of paper.

She pulled that out first. It was brief, barely longer than a telegram, but seeing that it was from the Reverend Mother eased Maria's worries somewhat.

 _Dear Maria,_

 _This letter was delivered for you yesterday. Given you will be with the von Trapps until September I decided to forward it to you, in case it needed your attention._

 _God be with you,_

 _The Reverend Mother_

Upon reading the letter Maria only felt more confused. The Reverend Mother had not disclosed any information about who had delivered the letter or given any indication whatsoever about what it could be.

While she knew the Reverend Mother would not breach her privacy and open the letter, the fact that it had been passed on to her at all carried with it an unspoken sense of urgency, or at least importance. She knew the letter may have been passed on to her for no other reason than she wouldn't be back at the Abbey until September, just as the Reverend Mother had said; but there was the feeling of something more that wouldn't leave her.

So she turned her attention to the second envelope; inside the first, addressed to the Abbey. She drew it out and opened it.

 _Dear Fraulein Rainer,_

 _As the head of The Orphanage of St. Hedwig I am contacting you in regards Sebastian Dreschner. As the next of kin of Hans Kutschera, the boy's father, you_

She didn't get any further.

Next of kin…Hans Kutschera…father…

The words rattled around in her brain like ping-pong balls. The dining room, the children and the Captain all disappeared from view as her vision became foggy.

"Fraulein? Fraulein Maria?"

She felt a hand grab her wrist, and Louisa's voice floated through her mind, bringing her, slowly but surely, back to the present moment.

"Y-yes?" she stammered; her voice a whisper.

"Are you alright?" the thirteen year old asked. She looked worried, and her expression was mirrored by the other seven people seated around the table, but Maria didn't really notice. She could barely concentrate. Her head was swimming and her vision was still hazy.

"M-may I be excused?"

"Of course Fraulein," the Captain answered.

"Thank you," her voice was still barely audible as she flew from the room; vaguely aware of the Captain announcing to the children that Liesl was in charge of the lessons that morning.

* * *

Maria stared at the piece of paper in her hands, which at long last, had stopped trembling.

It had taken her over ten minutes and multiple attempts, but she had finally managed to read the letter in its entirety.

Some things were a little unclear, and she was still too shocked to process everything completely, but the one thing she did know is that she was being contacted because of her uncle.

Hans Kutschera was her mother's elder brother; the monster she had lived with for ten years after her father had died. She had never known him to have any children, and given the way he had treated her, that was for the best.

And yet, an orphanage was contacting her over a boy they said was her uncle's son. A boy that was… her cousin?

According to the letter, Sebastian was about eleven years old. His mother had died less than a month ago, and the orphanage, unable to accommodate many more children, had attempted to contact the boy's father and when that failed, his niece.

Maria couldn't take in anything more, and was relieved when she heard the knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in,"

The Captain opened the door and stepped inside.

"Liesl's taking care of the other children," he said. "Are you alright, Fraulein?"

"Thank you," Maria murmured. "Yes, I'm alright."

"May I ask what the Reverend Mother wanted?"

"It wasn't the Reverend Mother sir," Maria's voice was still very quiet. "She was simply passing on a message."

"Who was it from?"

"St. Hedwig's," she replied. "It's an orphanage in Tyrol."

"An orphanage?" the Captain's eyebrow rose in surprise. "What did they want?"

"It's about my… my cousin sir."

"I didn't know you had a cousin, Fraulein."

Georg had certainly not expected this. The Reverend Mother had outlined Fraulein Maria's past for him briefly before she had arrived at his home; no siblings, orphaned as young child and lived with a close relative until she was seventeen, when she went to teacher's college. A cousin had never been mentioned, and if there was something else about her life that would result in anything of this nature, he didn't know about it.

"Neither did I," her tone indicated disbelief, but she couldn't help a small smile as she replied. "His mother just passed away and his father, my uncle, has been a difficulty to contact."

"The boy doesn't live with his father?"

"No," she continued. Georg detected a hint of sadness and a forced sense of calm in her voice. "My uncle never married. I don't think he even knows about his son. In any case, they contacted me. The orphanage is very short on space. Of course I can't take him, being a postulant. But I-"

"Perhaps you could find your uncle?"

"No!" she cried, her voice rising. She took a deep breath, collecting herself before continuing. "I'm sorry sir, but that is not an option."

"Fraulein, he can't be worse than I was."

Georg regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He had treated his children terribly for the past five years; and he would spend the rest of his life repenting for it. But he also knew it could have been so much worse.

And from the spark that appeared in the Fraulein's eyes; anger, and could it be, hurt? Georg could tell that she too knew that to be the case.

"Captain," she said through gritted teeth, her voice forcibly even. "You pushed the children away because you were grieving. And not once during that time did you ever stop loving them, correct?"

"Yes."

"My uncle was enduring no such ordeal," she was nearly spitting. "And I would pray for the days when he ignored me. They were the-"

Feeling her hand on her upper back Maria stopped, aware of what she had just revealed. Underneath her dress rested the one permanent reminder of her uncle.

For the past five years, she would involuntarily touch her scars when she thought of him.

"Forgive me, Fraulein," Georg sputtered, noticing her unease. "I did not know."

"It's alright," she whispered.

"Where is he?" Georg asked, eager to change the subject. "Your cousin?"

"Innsbruck," she replied, her voice still soft and vulnerable. "The orphanage is in Innsbruck."

Georg nodded absently, his mind working out what would need to happen. He knew what Fraulein Maria's next request would be.

"Captain I-I need to see him."

"Of course," he replied, his suspicions confirmed. He had denied his own children the love they needed and deserved so desperately for the past five years, and it was because of her and her alone that he wasn't still doing that. If Fraulein Maria was the only person this boy had, then, despite her post as governess in his home, he would not stand in the way. After all, he had asked her that very morning if there was anything he could do for.

"I believe Max is going to Innsbruck the day after tomorrow," he continued. "I'm sure he could give you a lift."

"Thank you," she murmured.

"That's alright, Fraulein," Georg responded. "Remember what I said this morning."

Maria gave him the tiniest of nods.

"The children will be fine until lunch," he announced. "Please, take some time for yourself."

For a moment, Maria wanted to refute, but the Captain's expression gave no room for argument, so she nodded again as he left the room.

She slumped down on her bed, deep in thought.

As angry as she had been with the Captain at his treatment of his children, she hadn't thought for one minute he would ever intentionally hurt them, especially physically. Her childhood, on the other hand, had been filled with broken bones, bruises and misery. Whistles, orders and marching were positively wonderful compared to that.

She touched her scars again and her hand balled into a fist. She knew, there and then, she would do everything in her power, limited though it may be, to protect Sebastian from his father.

Whatever happened, she would not let this boy face the wrath of her uncle. She couldn't.

* * *

 **Yeah, I know I said it would be an update once a week. But that will take forever. So the updates will now be every four days. I hope you enjoyed. Next installment on the 1st June. Still hoping the latest chapter will be done by the time the final pre-written one is posted.  
St. Hedwig's is entirely my own creation, and if such a place really exists it is pure coincidence.**


	3. (II) Anxiety and Assurances

Maria knelt down by the side of her bed and crossed herself. It took everything she had not to collapse onto the bedclothes. She hadn't been this exhausted in a long, long time. Even her earliest days as the von Trapp's governess hadn't drained her in quite the way today had.

"Dear Father…" she began, but her voice faltered before she was able to say anything more, and she mentally berated herself for the effect the events of the day were having on her nightly prayers.

She had heeded the Captain's advice and taken the rest of the morning for herself; though it could hardly have been called relaxing. The unexpected letter about the unknown little boy had consumed her mind.

She had tried her best to be attentive to the children and engage with their activities, but she had been very distracted. In the end, Liesl and Friedrich had taken charge just like earlier in the day, and she had disappeared to her room.

Taking a deep breath, she started the prayer over again.

Her second attempt went smoothly but, after finishing her usual list of prayers for the Captain, his guests, her charges and the nuns at the Abbey, there was still one person left. The one child that had been on her mind all day.

"And now dear God, about… about Sebastian," she stumbled over her words.

Despite being the only person in the room, and her communication being to the Lord, Maria felt rather self-conscious. She almost wished Liesl were trying to crawl through her window. She couldn't even remember what she had said that night; her mouth had run away with her; the words coming to her on impulse.

But no telegrams had been delivered since that first night, which meant there was no one climbing through her window and nothing to distract her mind from the words coming out of her mouth.

Then again, it mightn't have worked anyway. Purely because of how startling and out of the blue it had been, Maria still didn't fully believe this boy was her cousin. She wasn't quite sure how to approach this situation, even with God.

"Watch over him," she murmured. That issue was easy enough. "Ease his grief over his mother's death, but above all, grant him the happiness he deserves."

Maria sighed. She knew all too well; from both watching over the von Trapps and her own experiences that children had the right to be happy, as well as how devastating the loss of a family member could be.

"Also give me the strength to help him any way I can."

That was the biggest thing; the promise she had made to herself after reading the letter.

The Reverend Mother had suggested her as governess for the von Trapps in part due to her love of children. And for all the reservations she had about coming to the von Trapp villa, Maria was amazed by all that had transpired since her first day. Her relationship with the children alone was more than she could've hoped for. She could sincerely say that they would always hold a special place in her heart.

But Sebastian's situation was very different, and though Maria had little idea on what to do, she knew it would be much harder than singing some troubles away during a thunderstorm.

She wanted to say more; as though having a concrete plan would make her stronger, but could think of nothing and decided after everything that happened today, it wasn't a good idea to force anything right now.

"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, Amen."

After crossing herself once more she pulled back the covers and settled herself into bed. She wanted to sleep; she was certainly tired enough, but her mind would not stay quiet.

As she had said to the Captain that morning, she couldn't take Sebastian as her own. She already had seven children under her care, if only temporarily. And when she left in September, she would return to the Abbey, and take the vows of poverty, obedience and chastity.

Her first idea had been to transfer him to the small orphanage run out of the Abbey, but that wouldn't solve the issue. There was no more guarantee of adoption here than there was in Tyrol, and hopping from orphanage to orphanage was not the answer. The boy needed a proper family and a proper home, just like any child.

Just like any _person._

If anything, bringing him to Salzburg could make things worse.

Maria couldn't be certain her uncle was still alive, but she knew that if he was, he would still be living in that small wooden house high in the mountains. She had no way to predict the odds of her uncle running into his son, but she knew they would be higher in Salzburg than they were in Innsbruck.

She could see one of two outcomes if he were to find out about the boy. He would either want nothing to do with Sebastian, who would be abandoned all over again, or he would decide that as the father, he deserved custody; and would most likely treat his son in a similar manner to the way he had treated his niece.

In a way she probably was being selfish, wanting to deny this child access to his one living relative if she had any say in the matter. But, she had lived with said relative for a decade. The unhappiest ten years of her life. She only wanted the best for the boy; and she believed that his father would not give him that.

But that still didn't make the choice hers to make.

* * *

Maximilian Detweiller hung up the telephone with a sigh.

He hoped that he would have some luck in Innsbruck tomorrow, as he was not getting anywhere despite having been making calls ever since breakfast.

The St. Ignatius Choir seemed to be his last chance. It wasn't ideal, but the festival was getting closer, and with that marvellous quartet of Sol Hurok's now in Sascha Petrie's hands he was running out of options.

A sound akin to a small stampede broke him from his reverie, and he looked up to find all seven of the children and their governess making their way excitedly down the stairs.

"Ah, Herr Detweiller," the governess called out to him as she followed behind her charges. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Is this about you joining me in Innsbruck tomorrow, Fraulein?" Max didn't miss a beat. Georg had mentioned that Fraulein Maria needed to go to Tyrol the night before, and he had suspected what the young woman would want when she had called his name.

"Yes," Maria answered, surprised, before quickly adding: "If that's not too much trouble for you, of course."

"Not at all," the impresario replied. "It'll be nice to have some company."

"Fraulein Maria," Gretl called, already out on the terrace. "Are you coming?"

"Yes," she called back with a sigh. She directed her attention back to Max. "Thank you, Herr Detweiller. Thank you very much."

"Not at all, my dear," Max replied, but she was already halfway out the door.

Max smiled to himself. The girl was absolutely charming.

He still found it hard to believe Georg had found her at the convent. She was so vivacious and optimistic that it was infectious. Somehow she had made the Captain see sense; and in doing so had brought back the Georg von Trapp of years past; the Georg who played with his children and loved music.

The Georg who loved life.

But Georg wasn't the only member of the family that had benefitted from her arrival. She had worked wonders with the children. The way she had taught them to sing was amazing. The older ones wouldn't have sung since their mother had died, and the younger ones wouldn't have sung at all. To turn out a performance like that in less than a month – well, in all his experiences with choirs, quartets and glee clubs, Max had never seen anything quite like that.

If the little Fraulein could sing half as well as the children, Max felt he might not even need to visit Innsbruck to get some hope for the festival.

* * *

Maria stopped on the terrace and sighed. That was one thing off her shoulders. She hadn't expected Herr Detweiller to say no; not after the way the Captain had brought it up yesterday. But she still felt better have spoken to him directly.

But now that she had, there was a whole new problem. Now that she had Herr Detweiller's answer, she was actually going to see this boy. It was real; set in stone.

For some reason, she felt even more nervous than when she had arrived at the villa.

The children were waiting over on the grass for her, so she pushed her worries out of her mind; determined to stay focused on the upcoming game of Blind Man's Bluff.

* * *

"Fraulein, are you alright?"

Maria saw Brigitta making her way towards her, a book under her arm as usual.

"Yes Brigitta, I'm alright," she answered with a sigh. So much for focusing on the game. "I'm just a little tired."

"What was in that letter?"

"How did you-"

"That's when it all started," the ten year old replied matter-of-factly, sitting down beside her governess.

Maria couldn't help but smile at the girl. What was it that she had shouted at the Captain mere days ago? _She notices everything._

"The letter was from an orphanage in Innsbruck," she stated. "Tomorrow, I'm going down there with your Uncle Max to see my cousin."

"Your cousin?" Brigitta seemed just as surprised as her father at the news.

"Mmm-hmm," Maria nodded. "I've never met him. I guess I'm just worried that seeing him will cause more harm than good."

"Why?"

"Because at the end of the summer I'll be going to back to the Abbey. I don't want to give him false hope."

"Oh I see," there was a hint of annoyance in the girl's tone.

"Brigitta…" Maria warned, but her stomach felt queasy.

"Is it because he's your cousin?" demanded Brigitta, her eyes glistening. "Because I'm sure I speak for all of the children when I say you're the best governess we've ever had."

Maria didn't have time to think about the girl's words before she continued; the next words stinging as much as the previous ones had touched her.

"We are going to miss you when September comes."

"Brigitta…" she began. Her voice was thick; she had heard the unspoken 'what about us?' loud and clear.

"It's complicated," she made sure to keep her tone gentle. "You have a stable home and family. He doesn't."

"You're like part of the family," Brigitta said confidently.

"It's true," she continued, noticing her governess' look of disbelief. "The little ones see you as their mother."

Maria didn't know how to reply, and a long silence followed as she thought of all the other things she had come to know about the Captain's middle daughter.

'She always tells the truth' she recalled. 'Especially when you don't want to hear it.'

What was the truth?

The truth was that there were seven children who would be devastated when she left them in September. She hadn't even met her cousin yet, and she was worried about causing him pain, while she hadn't given any thought to what would happen to the von Trapps when she returned to the Abbey.

She knew it would happen of course; it had been there in the back of her mind. But, just like with Herr Detweiller, hearing Brigitta voice her departure gave it a gravity that it hadn't had before.

Maybe it was because it had always been a temporary thing. But even Maria could not have imagined the way she and her charges would bond; how fond of them she would become.

How much she would grow to love them.

"Brigitta," she ventured. "You are all wonderful children and you mean a lot to me. I promise I will do what I can to stay in touch after I leave."

Brigitta looked up, her hazel eyes shining.

"I promise," Maria vowed.

"Thank you," the girl whispered, before her governess drew her in for a hug.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed. Thank you for all your kind reviews so far. Next part coming soon.**


	4. (III) Bastian

Maria stared up at the building in front of her.

It had been an enjoyable journey down; Herr Detweiller – Max; he'd insisted that she call him Max - chattering almost nonstop, about everything from his purpose for journeying to Tyrol, to his relationship with the children, to stories about his past with the Captain.

By the time they had reached Innsbruck, Maria knew far more about her employer than she had ever thought possible. Some of it she had definitely not needed to know, but most of the information warmed her heart; since the day of their argument, she had seen the man Max had been talking about return, little by little.

She had assured Max that she would be fine when he dropped her off outside the orphanage, and had promised to come and collect her in an hour or two before beginning the long drive back to Salzburg.

Now that she was here, the anxiety was back.

'Oh help!' she thought. If it weren't for the current situation, she would've giggled at the moment of déjà vu.

Instead, she took a deep breath, trying to gather as much courage as she could, before pushing the door open.

" _Guten tag_ ," the woman seated behind the front desk said when she came in. She had thin, greying hair pulled into a loose bun and small, round glasses. "How can I help you?"

"I'm Maria Rainer," Maria began, her voice somewhat shaky. "I'm here about Sebastian Dreschner."

"Ah yes," the woman answered. "You got our letter."

Maria nodded mutely. She couldn't manage much more; she was too overwhelmed. She hadn't even known Sebastian existed until less than a week ago, when she received the letter. Did he know about her? Did he want to?

"Would you like to come this way," the woman asked.

'I have confidence in confidence alone…' her mind sang.

Part of her wanted to turn away, to run back outside to wait for Max, to run back to Salzburg. Sebastian didn't know she was coming. Maybe it was better, as she had thought, to stay away, and avoid the heartbreak altogether.

'No,' her mind stopped singing for a moment and scolded her instead.

She nodded her head resolutely, though her companion did not seem to notice.

The answer was no. During her talk with Brigitta the day before, she had not only promised the girl, but also herself, that somehow she would stay in contact with the von Trapp children. Even if it was only letters, she wanted to remain in contact with them after September.

Because she loved them.

Why should Sebastian be any different?

* * *

The woman, Frau Becker, led Maria through a door and down a long corridor.

As they walked, she explained what Maria had worried about most: that legally Sebastian's father had custody of the boy and, should he appear, would take the boy as his own.

Maria's only consolation was that, from years of firsthand experience, she knew that her uncle making an appearance was rather unlikely.

They passed a large room that seemed to be a dining hall of sorts. A great many children were inside, boys and girls ranging in age from their mid-teens like Liesl, to younger than Gretl. While none of them looked remarkably unhappy, there was a certain feeling present; the loss of family, the lack of a true home, the uncertainty of their future.

Finally they stopped at a smaller room. Maria guessed it was a dormitory. There were around a dozen beds in two rows, but only one person inside; a boy of about eleven with dark hair. Maria knew who he was before her companion addressed him.

"Sebastian," Frau Becker called. "There's someone here to see you."

The boy turned around. He was silent, wary; on his guard. It wasn't that dissimilar to the von Trapp children the first time Maria had met them.

And just as she had done with her charges, Maria knew she had to be gentle with him; she had to take her time.

"Hello," she smiled at the boy. "You must be Sebastian."

He nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Maria here is your cousin," Frau Becker explained.

"It's nice to meet you," Maria continued. Sebastian nodded again.

"It-it's nice to meet you too," he said finally, his voice soft. The ghost of a smile was on his face. His guard had dropped slightly, but Maria could see he was still hesitant.

An awkward pause followed, broken after a few seconds by Frau Becker.

"I'll give you some time alone," she announced. "You can head out to the garden if you'd like."

"Thank you," Maria answered. As the woman walked out the door and back down the corridor, she turned to Sebastian. "Would you like to go outside?"

"Yes please," he replied happily, smiling up at her fully. He instantly reminded her of Kurt, and the smile he had given her on her first night as governess, when he came up behind her bed as she sang about all her favourite things, and was pleased that Sebastian didn't hesitate when she reached for his hand. She took it and they walked through the door on the far side of the room and out into the sunshine.

"So Sebastian-" she began, but he interrupted.

"I prefer Bastian."

Maria nodded as she sat down on a nearby stone bench. "Bastian it is," she declared. She wanted to do everything she could to make him at ease around her.

He gave her that smile again, and she relaxed somewhat.

"How old are you Bastian?"

"I'm eleven," he answered proudly. "Well, almost."

"That's a nice age to be," Maria replied playfully. "Eleven, almost. When's your birthday?"

"In three weeks," he answered, grinning again. "The thirteenth of July. When's yours?"

Maria smiled back. With each passing moment she could see the boy opening up to her more and more. And the more he relaxed around her, the more comfortable she felt about the situation.

"The twenty-sixth of January."

"That's a nice day to have a birthday," he teased, reappropriating the words she had spoken a moment ago.

Maria couldn't not laugh at that, and Bastian joined in as she chuckled. He reminded her so much of Kurt, and the more time she spent with him, the more similarities she could see.

It wasn't because he was the same age, or that he looked like the Captain's youngest son. Where Kurt had the honey blonde hair from his mother and the same hazel eyes as his sister, both Sebastian's hair and eyes were dark.

But he had the same chubby cheeks and a smile that was so similar. Even the way he talked; Maria had no trouble imagining much of what he said coming out of Kurt's mouth.

"Thank you," she replied dramatically.

"I'm sorry about your mother," she carried on, her tone of voice changing. "I lost my parents too, when I was very little."

"Frau Becker said you were my cousin," Bastian asked. "Is that correct?"

"Yes, I believe so," Maria replied. She had a feeling what Bastian wanted to know, and was mentally trying to produce an appropriate answer.

"Does that mean you're going to contact my father?"

There it was. With the boy's simple, innocent question all her mental preparation, short as it had been, disappeared.

"Bastian…" she began, her voice slow and careful. She had to get this right. She didn't want to scare or upset her cousin; she already cared about him deeply. But she couldn't lie to him.

Not about this.

"I don't want to tell you what to do with your life, but your father is not a good man," she continued. "I lived with him for ten years. He was drunk much of the time and I had to do everything around the house. And whenever I did something wrong, he…"

Her voice faltered, but the words still echoed in her mind as loud and clear as if she had spoken. _He would beat me._

How could she say that to an innocent boy? It hurt her to simply remember? How could she tell Bastian about what had happened to her, at the hands of his father?

"Maria?" Bastian's voice interrupted her thoughts. He looked concerned.

She took a deep breath and spoke again.

"If you want to live with him, I won't stop you. But I don't want you to go through what I did."

She was proud of her statement. She was informing Bastian about what life with her uncle could be like, while allowing him to make the decision.

"You didn't know about your father?" Maria wasn't sure why she hadn't asked this question earlier.

"No," replied Bastian. "I mean I always knew, somehow, that I had one, but Mother never talked about him."

Maria nodded; silently grateful Bastian hadn't said anything more. She had her suspicions about how her uncle had met her cousin's mother, but she didn't say anything. Eleven almost was not the age to be learning about _that_ , and what she had said so far was rather confrontational.

And in truth, she knew nothing for certain about this topic – only what she had pieced together in her mind from the quick, sporadic glances she had had from her loft bedroom.

Her uncle, the drunk that he was, spent just as much time, if not more, at pubs or beer gardens, as he did at home. There had been more than one occasion when he had stumbled back home in the early hours of the morning that he hadn't been alone.

She could be entirely wrong, but she wouldn't have been surprised if there had been just as many women that he didn't bring home.

* * *

"Can't you take me then?"

Bastian's voice pulled her from her musings, leaving her with no time to plan her response. Which was probably better; this was something she could most definitely not keep secret.

"No," she sighed. "I can't. When September arrives, I'll be going back to Nonnberg Abbey. I'm going to be a nun."

Bastian's eyes widened with a look that implied disbelief, but Maria was unable to respond, as something clicked in the boy's brain and he spoke up: "Wait…September?" he asked. "What are you doing until then?"

Maria scolded herself for mentioning September. Now she had to tell him about the von Trapps. It was pointless lying; she had never been able to do it, not even to save herself. And he seemed to already have his doubts about her calling as a Bride of Christ.

"I'm currently working as a governess for a family near Salzburg," she told him. "But it isn't a permanent thing…." she continued before he could say anything more.

"A governess…" mused Bastian. "So you're looking after the children? And are also teacher, right?"

"Right," confirmed Maria. She smiled despite herself.

"Can you take me then?"

It was virtually identical to the question he had asked moments ago, but what he was asking was very different.

And yet, in some ways it was no different at all.

Maria could see the boy didn't want to stay at the orphanage, and she had been contacted because in many ways he couldn't stay there.

"Just until September?" Bastian added.

"Then what?" she asked. "You come back here?"

There was a possibility the orphanage could acquire some more space, but it seemed highly unlikely, especially in the next two months. But that wasn't what Bastian wanted or needed; and certainly not what he deserved.

"I don't know…" it seemed that Bastian was thinking through everything when it came up. But Maria couldn't blame him. Having a cousin appear more or less out of thin air didn't leave a lot of time for planning.

"If my father were to take me in after September, could I still come and see you?" he asked after a long pause. "At the Abbey?"

His voice was soft, hesitant. He was unsure, and once again, Maria knew what he was really asking.

And she knew what her answer would be.

She had promised herself she wouldn't let her uncle hurt this boy. If she was going to follow through on that, letting him stay with her was a good place to start. Even if it was at von Trapp villa. Even if it was only until September.

"Alright," she conceded. "Let me make a call."


	5. (IV) A New Team Member

The Captain was standing in the foyer when the party of three arrived back at the villa. While that surprised Maria somewhat, it did leave her feeling very pleased.

Max's first comment, unsurprisingly to everyone present; Bastian included, was to Frau Schmidt, who had opened the door, about how long he would have to wait before he could eat.

"I mean I must have done at least six hours of driving today," he wailed dramatically. "I had to get up at-"

"Yes alright, thank you Max," the Captain cut him off light-heartedly.

"Dinner will be on the table in just a few moments, Herr Detweiller," answered the housekeeper with a small smile.

The impresario smiled widely, rubbed his hands and headed in the direction of the dining room.

"Wow!"

Maria smiled as Bastian, wide-eyed took in the extravagance of the foyer. She knew that feeling all too well.

"Bastian, this is Captain von Trapp," she announced when the boy managed to tear his eyes off the mezzanine. "Captain, this is my cousin, Bastian."

"Pleased to meet you, young man," the Captain smiled as he reached out a hand.

It wasn't exactly the same grin he'd give Friedrich or Kurt, or even his daughters, but Maria could tell he was genuinely happy about meeting Bastian. And after what he had done for her, that was more than enough to make her happy.

Bastian looked rather startled, but he shook the Captain's hand. "A-and you sir. May I call you sir?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course," the Captain replied.

"Could you show Bastian his room?" Maria asked Frau Schmidt. She wanted – no – needed to thank her employer once again.

"Certainly," the housekeeper continued. "We've set up the bedroom next to yours. We know it's in the staff quarters, but-"

"-we figured he would be more comfortable closer to you," the Captain finished. "At least in the beginning."

"Oh, yes," Maria cried, overwhelmed. "Yes. That will be perfect." She turned her head, her gaze moving back to the Captain.

"Thank you so much for this, Captain. I really cannot-"

"You are welcome," Georg interrupted.

He still didn't think she understood just how much of an impact she had made on his family. On his life. Not because she was self-centred; in fact quite the opposite. She was so humble that she couldn't bring herself to believe she was worthy of such an act.

"Fraulein, there is no way I will ever be able to properly thank you for what you've done for us. But I want you to know I will happily help you in any way you need. For the rest of my life."

His suspicions were all but confirmed when her eyes widened and her mouth opened.

"What's going to happen after September?" he asked, eyeing the boy as he followed the housekeeper up the stairs.

"I don't know," the young governess sighed. "He might end up at the Abbey's orphanage. That way even if he never gets adopted, I'll still be close to him. But that's only a possibility. He might end up with his father."

"I thought you said you didn't want that to happen."

"I don't," she reaffirmed. "But it's not up to me. And honestly, I don't know how much of a difference I could make."

He wanted to tell her she could make a huge difference. That after the miracle she had worked with his children in less than a month, he wouldn't have been surprised if she could move mountains. That she might lack discipline, but she had determination in spades, and she could do anything she wanted to, if only she believed in herself.

But she continued before he could find the right words.

"If I can be there for him at the Abbey; give him a place to feel safe - even if that's only temporary – I'll be happy."

"You should already be happy," said Georg, his voice soft and sincere. "You are a remarkable young woman."

* * *

If Louisa was bothered that another chair had been squished beside her place at the end of the table she didn't say anything. The thirteen year old had still not opened up to Maria the way the other children had; she had told the Captain as much during their argument.

Thinking over the promise she had made to Brigitta and herself **,** as she watched the girl eat her dinner, silent and guarded as ever, Maria resolved to once again attempt to connect with her.

Bastian's attendance meant there were now twelve people present at the dinner table; four children at each side, with Max and the Baroness on either side of the Captain, at the opposite end from Maria.

Unlike the Captain's daughter, the Baroness was none too keen about the lack of space in the room or another child hanging around. And though she was civil to a point and rather subtle, she certainly did not keep her thoughts to herself.

"Georg darling," she simpered, actively ignorant of everyone else at the table. "How does a nice late lunch sound tomorrow? Just the two of us, of course. We've hardly spent any time alone since we arrived here."

"Elsa, really it's been less than a week," Max chortled. "One would think you're feeling neglected."

"Max has a point," the Captain acknowledged. "We haven't been here that long. With that said, a late lunch sounds lovely."

The Baroness barely seemed satisfied, but didn't press the issue further.

Fortunately the children, by and large, didn't seem fazed at another child. Friedrich and Kurt were thrilled at the thought of having another boy around, while the little ones were operating on a 'the more the merrier' mindset.

Brigitta was no quieter than usual, so Maria hoped wouldn't be upset, especially after their conversation. She planned on telling all of them the situation as soon as she could; tomorrow morning at the latest.

She also took special care not to focus on Bastian more than the others. She still helped Gretl cut her schnitzel and assured Liesl of course they could have a private conversation after everyone had gone to bed.

* * *

The next few days passed calmly. By the end of the week Bastian had transitioned almost seamlessly into Maria's eighth charge, joining the children in the classroom and during their leisure time.

The von Trapp children had accepted him wholeheartedly, overjoyed to have someone else to spend their time with. Perhaps the shared experience of losing a mother had helped them all bond.

Bastian had a quieter disposition than the von Trapp boys, but he wasn't so introverted that he didn't enjoy a game of tag or a chance to throw the ball around. The Captain had even invited him along when he took Friedrich and Kurt out on the rowboat; which delighted Maria immensely. Not only was he growing closer to his children with each passing day, but welcoming relationships and time spend with children who weren't his own, and Bastian was the living proof.

While he had not had the same reading experience as Brigitta, he shared her love of books and literature, so they had become quite close. More than once, while the others ran around engaged in some game or activity, Maria had found the two of them sitting under the shade of a tree, discussing the latest books they'd read or their favourite authors.

Perhaps most importantly of all, Bastian seemed to be loving his time at the villa. He still had many sad moments, but the rest of the time he was a happy eleven year old boy. Unless one were to catch him during those times, they wouldn't have guessed that his mother had died only a month ago.

* * *

It happened at the beginning of Bastian's second week at the villa.

The day was sunny, so the Captain decided to take everyone into Salzburg after lunch. Maria and all eight of the children were going to go past the market, to buy some groceries and ease the cook's load, while the Captain took Max and the Baroness out for afternoon tea.

They were wandering through the shopping district when Maria noticed some of her charges seemed to have vanished. Liesl, Louisa and the three boys were still following after her, but the three youngest girls had the faces pressed against the front window of a toy store.

She could understand the littlest girls, but it wasn't until she came over that she realised exactly why Brigitta had stopped.

In front of the window was a large puppet theatre. Soon enough, the other children had their faces pressed against the glass, ogling the display.

"Can we go inside?" Marta asked her governess.

"Well…alright," Maria conceded. It was only the fact that she knew she would get the same question again from at least six other people that she agreed. "But just to look."

The children nodded, and one by one filed into the store. They possessed all the composure Maria had seen the day she first met them, yet did not appear as unhappy little marching machines.

By the time she'd closed the door behind her that had disappeared.

Marta and Gretl were standing on the right side of the enormous structure pulling the cord so the curtain was constantly opening and closing, while the others had climbed the stairs on the side and were now standing on the upper level, meant for the puppeteers and were dangling their fingers down at the top of the stage.

Maria couldn't help but laugh.

The sound had drawn the attention of the store owner, a short elderly gentleman with glasses and a grey moustache.

" _Guten tag_ everyone," he said cheerfully. "I see you like the puppets."

"Yes sir," answered Bastian.

"I'm Professor Kohner," the old man continued. "And if you're after puppets, you won't find anything better in all of Austria."

"Thank you sir," Maria cut in; he looked as though he still had more to say. "But we're only browsing today."

If Professor Kohner was upset at a possible purchase disappearing right in front of him he did not show it. He merely nodded, wished the group of nine a happy day and returned to the back of the store.

* * *

They stayed in the store for a little while longer. With all their errands completed, Maria hated having to tear them away from something they found so enjoyable.

She was about to suggest they finally leave and go find their father and his guests, when almost out of nowhere, Max appeared. Maria looked out the window and could see the Captain and the Baroness outside.

"Well, well," the impresario interrupted playfully. "What are you all looking at?"

"Puppets!" Gretl shouted enthusiastically, causing Maria, Liesl and Friedrich to shush her, and Max to grin wider and chuckle.

"Magnificent," he cried, kneeling down so he was eye-level with the five year old. "You should put on a performance."

"We can't buy the puppets, Uncle Max," Kurt said sadly.

"Fraulein Maria said we were only here to look," Marta added.

"Well I'm going to buy the puppet theatre," he announced. "Your father used to have a whole set of puppets when he was a child. I'm sure they're still around somewhere."

Eight faces had turned to look at Maria imploringly. And once again, she found she could not resist.

"We'll have to ask your father."

Everyone cheered. For these children, that was as good as yes.

* * *

Maria pulled the marionette out of the box, lightly brushing off the dust. It was a little goatherd, complete with lederhosen and a Tyrolean hat.

The Captain had agreed on the purchase of the puppet theatre, and confirmed he did indeed still have all his old marionettes. So an hour after eleven happy people and one disgruntled Baroness had returned to the villa, Maria was in the attic, looking for her employer's old playthings. Because naturally Max's aforementioned show was now going to happen.

The absurdity of the situation was rather, well, absurd; and in any other circumstance would've made Maria giggle or cringe or both. But ever since their argument, the Captain had been nothing but kind to her. He was letting her cousin stay in his home, for goodness sakes.

And they were only puppets.

Sifting carefully through the box some more revealed several goats, including a baby, and the other boxes revealed several other marionettes: a girl, a woman, some men with pickaxes, two men sitting at a table and a waiter with some steins, some musicians as well as some dancers, and prince that was missing the bottom half of his body; permanently attached to a wooden bridge.

Despite clearly having been in the boxes for many years, they were all in very good condition. The family had clearly taken care of them.

As she traced the goatherd's wooden face, all at once a long-forgotten tune started playing in her head.

Maria swept her eyes over the other puppets.

'Oh yes,' she smiled to herself. She had the perfect idea for their show.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed. If Bastian does seem too happy given his current situation, I promise he will crack. Thank you for all your lovely reviews.**


	6. (V) Practise and Plans

Maria had a headache.

The puppet show preparations had come to a bit of a standstill.

They had spent the last few days working solely on the song; a tune from her childhood that she and her friend made up one golden afternoon. Everyone was enjoying it, and the older children were impressed at the fact that their governess had made it up herself.

By now the children had pretty much mastered it; so it was time to move onto the puppets. But this was causing tension between just about everyone.

Gretl and Marta were upset that they wouldn't get to stand on the platform; instead only opening the curtain, changing the backdrop and sliding the prince onstage. Then, on the complete opposite end of the scale, the others, in particular Friedrich and Louisa, were getting so irritated at trying to get the marionettes to move the way they wanted that many times, several puppets had barely escaped being smashed.

And then there was Bastian.

While Maria's cousin had become fast friends with all of her charges, she knew he was cautious about overstepping his boundaries. She was as well; in her mind she was taking too much advantage of the Captain's hospitality.

Even though Bastian had been there that day, this puppet show felt very distinctly like a 'von Trapp thing'. The children were putting it on for their Uncle Max, their father and their soon-to-be-mother, Baroness Schraeder. Maria was allowed to participate, because she was the governess, but he was only a friend. A close friend, but still only a friend.

"Time out," Maria announced. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and nodded to Liesl; the sign for her to keep an eye on everyone.

She headed for the kitchen, drew herself a glass of water, and drained it in one long gulp.

In some ways having fun was harder and more exhausting than the Captain's strict no-fun routine. She pursued it because it was more enjoyable for everyone involved, and, if she did say so herself, better.

Even the Captain had admitted he was wrong. And it was quite clear now that he was just as determined to make up for lost time as she was.

* * *

Ten minutes later, she returned to the ballroom. It was one of the few rooms that the puppet theatre could actually fit inside and the only room with enough space to properly conduct the show.

The fact that the Captain had allowed this room to be used again made Maria happy.

She found herself happy a lot these days.

But right now she had problems to fix. She crouched down beside the two youngest girls.

"You know we can't do this without you," she told them, her voice gentle, but sincere. "Every part, big or small, is important to our show."

"And," she added with a big smile. "I'm sure you will be the best curtain operators ever."

Marta and Gretl seemed to be satisfied for the time being. They giggled, showing almost identical gap-toothed smiles. Maria exhaled as she straightened up, relieved at having that taken care of.

"Bastian," she caught her cousin's eye. "Why don't we have a talk? Alone."

* * *

A soft knock sounded on the door of Georg's office.

"Come in," he called, and a moment later, just as he was expecting, the young governess walked in.

"Good evening, Fraulein," he smiled.

"Good evening Captain."

She took a seat automatically. This wasn't the first time they'd met to discuss the children. Since his return from Vienna and reconciliation with his children it had become a weekly occurrence. Georg wondered if he was pushing things too far. Even if it wasn't by much, he was far closer to Fraulein Maria than he was to any other staff member he'd ever had, even Frau Schmidt. Which meant they were probably a little too close for an employer and an employee.

'But it felt so right,' Georg thought, not for the first time. Since their argument he had told her things he could never believe he would tell anybody; at least not since Agathe had died, and he found immense joy in it. It was so easy to ask her how she was feeling, or how her day had been; even if he rarely got a solid answer. It felt so natural that, when they met to discuss the children, like they were doing now, they ended up talking about something completely different.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked.

"Oh, no thank you," she replied softly.

"Are you sure?" he had expected that. Fortunately, he had prepared ahead of time. After all, how many nuns consumed alcohol regularly? "I have tea?"

"But it's almost nine o'clock at night?" Maria pointed out. She did not consider herself an expert, but was pretty sure while young governesses like her sometimes drank tea before bed; aristocratic gentlemen like Captain von Trapp did not.

"And unlike my friend Max, I do not get pleasure solely from a bottle of whiskey," he retorted with a smirk.

Georg gave a slight chuckle, but actually felt rather awkward. Until a month ago, he had been escaping to the bottle as much as he had been escaping to Vienna. He could see now that it had been as empty and hollow as everything else in his life. But at the time anything that wasn't painful was as good as pleasure.

"Well, alright," she smiled. "That would be lovely. Thank you."

"You're welcome," the Captain replied, pouring the milk and tea into a cup before handing it to her, along with the sugar pot. For a moment Maria felt like she was back in the kitchen, that fateful morning when she had first learned about her cousin and everything had changed.

"How's the puppet show going?" he asked. He didn't want to think of the past anymore.

"It's certainly a challenge," she acknowledged. "We still need to practise some more, but the children are enjoying it."

"Even Bastian?" the Captain quirked an eyebrow. Maria nodded.

"Isn't it his birthday in a couple of days?"

"Mmm hmm," she confirmed. "He, uh actually asked me about that."

The puppet show hadn't been the only thing her cousin was apprehensive about intruding on. He desperately wanted to celebrate his birthday, as any child would, but was scared about how to bring it up.

She had promised she would talk to the Captain about it, so he wouldn't have any additional worry.

"We can celebrate tomorrow night," the Captain proposed. "And then he can have Wednesday as the number one person."

"If that's what he wants, of course," he added quickly.

"Yes, yes," Maria cried. She had barely said a word, and this response was more than she could've hoped for.

"That should be lovely," she reaffirmed. This new Captain von Trapp was full of surprises. "That's what we did for Marta."

A shadow passed over the Captain's face. "I'm sorry I missed it," he paused. "Did she have a good day?"

Maria nodded.

"And her present?" he continued. "Did she like it? I don't even know what it was."

Frau Schmidt had been the one to buy her present. Georg guessed she would've asked Marta what she wanted, and would've had some idea even if she hadn't. He had left the housekeeper in charge of buying birthday presents since Agathe had died. At least for the girls. The boys he had some ideas, but with the exception of Brigitta, who only seemed to want books, he was lost when it came to his daughters.

"It was a pink parasol, Captain," the governess answered. "And yes, she loves it."

Georg watched, mesmerised as the young woman spoke about that day; from everyone having breakfast in their nightclothes, to Marta's pink iced cake at afternoon tea, the homemade cards from her siblings and her favourite foods at dinner. Things that a month ago would've infuriated him, but now only made him smile.

How on earth was this woman planning on pledging herself to God? He didn't take issue with her faith, but he couldn't imagine someone less suited to a cloistered lifestyle in a convent than his flighty young governess.

She was lively and spirited, with the type of enthusiasm that was as contagious as hay fever in the springtime. Her _joie de vivre_ and love of the outdoors seemed in direct conflict with her chosen path. And she was so wonderful with children. For goodness' sake; she'd handled his seven better than many people could handle one.

And that was before she'd voluntarily added an eighth into the equation.

Georg knew enough to realise there wasn't an age limit on joining a convent, but weren't nuns supposed to either kindly elderly ladies giving you everything they could within their power, or fussy no-nonsense women who wanted everything in its place and everyone acting as they should, whether or not they liked it?

With a shudder, he realised the latter wasn't that different from him.

Where did that leave Fraulein Maria?

"Fraulein," he began cautiously. With the subject he was about to broach he needed to be extremely careful and considerate.

"Have you ever thought about taking some action to stop your uncle from being allowed to take Bastian? Legally, I mean?"

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly do that."

Georg wasn't sure what to make of her instantaneous reply; whether she was completely against the idea, or whether she simply hadn't thought about it and panicked.

"Why not?"

"I have no way of getting in, for starters," she pointed out. "And…I'd have to speak about what he did to me?" she let out a strangled sob. Her hand was on her back again.

"Wouldn't I?"

The Captain just nodded.

Maria hung her head slightly, casting her eyes down to her lap.

Who would believe her? It was one thing to talk about the worst pain she'd ever experienced, but for Maria, quite another for anyone, let alone a judge in a courtroom, to believe her. In the past she'd never been believed before.

If the court didn't rule in her favour, she'd only be creating more pain for both her and Bastian, all for nothing.

When she returned to the Abbey, Bastian would either return to the orphanage in Innsbruck, stay at the orphanage at Nonnberg, or go live with his father. That was the worst case scenario, but she had thought it out so that he would have a safe haven to return to if things truly went bad.

"I know how hard it is Fraulein."

"Really? Do you?" she snapped, her eyes blazing. "Forgive me Captain, but I don't believe you have any idea what my life was like. I truly do not think badly of you, so correct me if I'm wrong, but you were never beaten continuously, for having committed no infraction?"

Maria's breathing was heavy after her little rant and she was sure her cheeks were scarlet. She didn't dare look up at the Captain; who had been nothing but kind to her since the day he returned. Instead she returned her eyes to her skirt and stayed silent.

She clearly remembered the day when everything had changed. It had been her fourteenth birthday.

In a desperate bid to have a day that was not simply enjoyable, but memorable, she had fled to her best friend's house.

She had stayed there all day, singing songs with Natascha, while her friend shook the tambourine like crazy. She even had a cake.

When the stars had come out she left. Her uncle was furious, and had grabbed the rolling pin; hitting her calves until they turned purple, screaming over and over that she was always off with friends, eating sweets and having fun, instead of coming straight home after running any errands she needed to.

The fact that she had done exactly what he'd insinuated made her realise something. Her uncle would not be happy with her no matter what she did. She could do everything exactly as he requested and he'd still find some fault, and end up taking it on her.

After that day, Maria found a new sense of freedom. She forgot about worrying and allowed herself to live. If she didn't feel like doing anything, she wouldn't linger simply for the sake of it, but if she really wanted to do something, she did it; knowing she would be returning to insults and beatings either way.

She climbed the tree by the Abbey wall to listen to the Sisters' sing and dream of the day she would join their ranks. She would visit her mountain, climbing every tree she could find, tearing holes in her dresses, or paddle in the brook, tearing holes in her stockings.

But every so often, the newfound freedom was not enough to combat what did await her at home. And then the fairytale would come crumbling down around her, leaving her with a broken reality.

"No, you're right," the Captain's voice broke her reverie. "I have no idea what that must have been like."

Maria nodded gratefully. She was just about to thank him when he spoke again.

"But do you really want Bastian to go through that?"

For a moment, she couldn't speak. She desperately wanted to tell him Bastian would be fine; that she had a plan; that her cousin would be safe even if her uncle still legally had custody. But in that moment, what she wanted most was for the conversation to go away and take the memories with it.

But she couldn't.

In her heart of hearts, she couldn't deny that her plan had a lot of flaws. That Bastian enduring the same pain as her was a very real possibility.

"No."

"Isn't recounting your past once worth it if Bastian is safe?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Once again, she couldn't argue with him. She would talk about the beatings she'd received; endure them all over again, if it meant her cousin was safe. But she still didn't have any influence in a courtroom, and no outcome would give Bastian a permanent home.

"Fraulein," the Captain said gently. "If you want to do this, I will help you. I have connections that can get you into court. And I will be there every moment."

Of course, she might not be able to make an impact in a situation like this, but someone like the Captain could.

"Really?" She looked straight into his eyes and saw nothing but genuine sincerity.

"Yes."

"Thank you, sir," she blubbered. "I am very grateful. But, right now, I think I need to sleep."

"Of course," the Captain nodded. He took the tea cup, still half-full from the coffee table while she stood up. "Get a good night's sleep and think it over."

She couldn't think of anything to say, so she simply nodded in return, and left.

Georg closed the door with a smile, not caring, or even really thinking about the fact that they had barely talked about the children all night.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed. Shameless borrow of a line from _Julie's Greenroom_ here, but I thought it worked, so...  
Also in my mind, the scars on Maria's back are the only scars she has, so I used a rolling pin because that wouldn't have given her scars the way a belt would've. It was the best I could think of.**


	7. (VI) Number One Person

As soon as the door opened everyone ceased their singing.

They had made it very clear to everyone in the house that nobody was allowed to see what they were doing, least of all their prospective audience.

And yet here was Captain von Trapp, intruding on their practise session. In the ballroom. Maria was most intrigued at the fact that not one of her eight charges had abandoned their post and tried to chase him out of the room.

As it was, she did find it rather ironic; her employer bursting in a room that he had told her, within a minute of meeting her, was not to be disturbed.

But despite their insistence of privacy, she found herself content with the Captain's presence.

As did everyone else.

Because that comment about the ballroom had been some time ago and much had changed. While Maria was almost certain that their continued use this room meant that rule no longer applied, rules as a whole had not. Individual rules had changed; some being swapped out for others, and others, like this one, being done away with completely. But the Captain still believed them necessary, and expected them to be upheld.

He snuck his way to the back of the puppet theatre, stroking Marta's cheek as he passed. Maria was so touched by the precious moment between father and daughter that she didn't realise the Captain was standing up on the platform until she heard him speak.

"That's it," he instructed gently. Maria found herself once again transfixed as she looked on; watching as Brigitta obeyed her father, changing the angle at which she held the control bar, and smiling at the results.

"I believe these are my old puppets," he quipped, looking up and catching her eye. "I ought to know how to use them."

She could do nothing but nod slowly in affirmation before returning to her own practise.

"As for you, Fraulein,"

He had somehow traded places with Brigitta; and now he was standing right next to her.

"If you move your fingers down and…"

As he spoke his hand reached out and gently touched the control bar, tilting it in demonstration. Indeed, when she looked down, Maria could see the puppet; the woman, moving exactly as she had wanted it to. Bolstered, she followed his lead, tilting the bar herself.

That's when she felt it.

Somehow, as she had followed his instructions, her hand had moved in such a way that it had touched his.

His hand was warm and, after the initial shock had passed, Maria realised it felt nice. And she was no longer startled that it had happened, though Heaven knows she should've been.

She moved her eyes off the puppet back to her hands. They were touching his. He was touching hers. His hands resting were over hers, not so close so that there was no space between them, but close enough for there to be contact in certain places.

And he seemed to be in no hurry to move them.

"Very good," he murmured.

Was it just her, or had his voice dropped a timbre? Was it just her, or was the air harder to breathe? She found herself both wishing for and dreading the moment when he would take his hands away.

Eventually he did, moving past her and descending the platform. He gave Gretl a hug before leaving the room; the door closing with a soft click. Maria felt cold and alone for reasons she couldn't explain, even to herself.

It had been a second. It had been an eternity.

* * *

Nothing had changed by dinnertime. Maria still couldn't shake that unusual, but not unpleasant feeling that had been present ever since her hand touched the Captain's in the ballroom.

Lunch had immediately followed the practise session, and after that Maria made her way into town. She still hadn't bought her cousin a birthday present.

She had declined the Captain's insistent offer of either driving her into Salzburg himself or getting Franz to do it. She was quite pleased with herself for that actually; not only had she been taking advantage of him far too much since his return from Vienna, but after the incident that morning, she felt she couldn't be around him too often.

She could still feel the heat from where their hands had met, and was wondering if it would ever go away.

More worryingly, she was wondering if she wanted it to.

What was wrong with her? Things must be happening to her. It was the only logical explanation.

It had been nearly a month since the Captain had apologised to her; asked her to stay. Bastian had been staying at the villa for the past three weeks. That whole time Maria had felt he was being much too generous, but she would certainly not have been fixated on the feeling that had resulted from touching his hand accidentally this time last week. Or even this time yesterday.

She shook her head as she followed Friedrich into the dining room, trying to clear her mind of such thoughts. She couldn't focus on that now. This was Bastian's moment.

Other than the fact that he was sitting at the very end of the table, where she usually sat, dinner itself was no different. But when dessert was brought in, the cook had baked his favourite dish: _apfelstrudel mitschlag._

He really was her cousin.

After they had eaten and all the dishes had been cleared away, everyone lined up to give their presents to Bastian.

The children had made him a big card. Inside, Liesl had written a short, sincere message wishing the boy a happy birthday and hoping all his wishes came true, below which she and her siblings had signed their names; from the eldest's cursive script, to Kurt's blocky letters, to Gretl's trembling scribble that was still far better than any other five year old Maria had ever seen.

They had also made him a bookmark, fashioned from the same coloured cardboard as the card. One side was covered with brightly coloured drawings of crowns and knights on horses, no doubt done by Marta and Gretl; while the other was occupied by a quote, written once again, in Liesl's elegant hand: _It does us all good to unbend sometimes._

He gave each child a huge hug, thanking them repeatedly for their generous gifts. If a complete stranger had been looking on in that moment, they wouldn't have suspected Bastian was not actually part of the family.

Yet, in actuality, they could not have led more different lives. Maria knew that Bastian's past hadn't been full of nearly as many hardships as hers, but it was still nothing like the von Trapps. But it didn't matter, because the children who could have so easily given him a completely superficial and materialistic present that required nothing more than money had instead given him a home-crafted gift straight from their hearts that was infinitely more precious.

Maria then gave her cousin the large package containing the woollen jumper she had bought earlier that day, and he gave her a hug in return. It had cost her most of the money she had, and for a moment she felt guilty that it had all gone on her cousin. But the next child to have a birthday was Gretl, and that wasn't for quite some time.

Besides, as she had been shown tonight, it was not about the money.

Maria had always wished for this kind of birthday for herself. The closest she had come was when she turned fourteen.

But the happiness in that moment, with her cousin's arms around her, the 'thank you' whispered in her ear, and the other seven children so dear to her and their father looking on joyfully made up for her own miserable past.

* * *

The entire time, Bastian could not stop smiling.

But his eyes really lit up when the Captain presented his gift to Bastian.

It was a large, leather-bound copy of _The Prince and the Pauper_ by the American author Mark Twain. It was clear that, somewhere along the line, the children and their father had coordinated their gifts.

And she did know how much he had wanted to read that book. She'd overheard him talking about it with Brigitta a few days ago.

Bastian was so overwhelmed that he could do little more than stare.

"T-thank you sir," he breathed, his eyes still fixed firmly on the cover of the book in his hands.

"You're welcome son," the Captain replied gently.

Maria started at hearing the Captain call Bastian 'son'. It was only a nickname; an endearing pet name that every boy had heard at some point in his life.

They had known each other for less than a month, but in that moment, it looked like it had been much, much longer.

* * *

The next day – Bastian's actual birthday – was fairly low-key, but highly enjoyable.

With the puppet show scheduled for the following night, everyone had been allowed to take a holiday from their lessons and focus on that instead.

After that they had a picnic lunch on the grounds; the only person absent being the Baroness.

Maria had been looking forward to spending time with her cousin on his birthday, but was surprised when she found that difficult: because his attention was already being occupied by none other than her employer.

"I hope you enjoy the book," Georg told the boy.

"I'm sure I will," Bastian replied. "Brigitta said she loved it and the writing was amazing and…"

Georg chuckled. Just like his cousin, Bastian's enthusiasm was contagious.

He had come to like the boy very much. He wasn't like either of his sons. Where Friedrich was all bravado and maturity and Kurt was loud and cheeky, Bastian was quiet and polite and sensitive.

Granted neither of his boys were as tough and sure of themselves as they let on – Fraulein Maria had told him as much – but it wasn't quite like Bastian, who was far more similar to Brigitta or Marta than he was to the boys.

But in other ways he was exactly the same as them.

Like Louisa he would join them in the rough play that all the other girls opted out of, and he pulled a face whenever Liesl mentioned boys – something happening far too often for Georg's comfort – or zoned out when the little ones took forever to get to the point.

"Thank you again, sir."

"You're welcome," Georg answered with a smile.

He wanted to help the boy now. He had no idea what exactly his father had done; but going on what Fraulein Maria had said, it was not something a child should be subjected to.

Independent of his cousin, Georg found he wanted to make sure Bastian was happy and healthy and safe.

* * *

Maria had been feeling confident until she saw the door. Then she started to worry.

She was standing in front of one of the Captain's rooms for the second time in three days. Usually she only did this once a week; when they would discuss the children's progress. And that was always in his office. With no meeting, he wasn't there tonight, so she was standing outside his study.

What was she doing? She had not been able to stop thinking about that moment in the ballroom since it happened.

Something had changed. She felt it.

She couldn't explain it; couldn't put it into words but something was different. It had to be; for her to be thinking about it as much as she was.

Maria had had friends before; not many, but enough. If she were honest with herself, she and the Captain were probably friends. But that moment didn't feel like a moment between friends.

She was being silly.

It had been a second long – two at the most – and completely incidental. In all likelihood the Captain hadn't even noticed and she was making a big deal out of nothing.

And it wasn't why she was here anyway.

So she knocked; before she could change her mind again.

"Come in," came the voice from inside. His voice.

She turned the knob and entered the room. At first glance it looked very similar to his office; everything was in the same dark wood. But the placement of everything was where things were different. The far wall and the wall on her left were completely covered by bookshelves and there was a large sofa in the corner. The desk was placed against the wall, underneath a large window; resulting in a far more personal feel than the office; where the desk was facing the door.

"Ah, Fraulein," Georg looked up, pleasantly surprised when the young governess opened the door. "I didn't expect to see you again tonight."

She nodded, but didn't say anything, and if Georg didn't know any better, he would've said she was nervous.

"I'm afraid I don't have any tea." He didn't keep any in his study. He actually didn't keep any in his office either; he had brought it in especially for her. He didn't let people in his study; Frau Schmidt, Franz and Max were the only ones. But it felt so right to let Fraulein Maria in.

Like everything else about her.

"Oh, that's alright sir," she said. "I won't take too much of your time."

"Alright then," he put his paperwork aside and turned his chair to give her his complete attention. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I just wanted to say thank you," she said quickly. She was looking at him, but she wouldn't meet his eye. "Bastian had a wonderful day."

"Fraulein, it's fine," he replied. "It was my pleasure."

By now he was sure he would never be able to convince her how much she had done for him. By nature she simply could not see that she had given him something for which he could never repay her.

"No, not just for letting him stay here, but for today; the presents…"

She was rambling now, still looking everywhere except his eye. Georg could tell she was most definitely nervous. He didn't think he'd ever seen her like this.

"I said it was my pleasure."

His tone was strong, but not harsh. Her ramble ended and she looked up at him. He gave her a small, sincere smile.

"My daughter has got enough to read already," he said. "She can do without that book."

"What?" Maria asked, feeling stupid as she said it.

He didn't answer; staring off wistfully at nothing in particular. She followed his gaze to the wall of bookshelves. There, on one of the higher shelves was an empty space where a book used to be.

He hadn't bought Bastian the book.

She sighed in relief.

Hand-me-downs didn't always make the best gifts, but she had taken enough advantage of the Captain's generosity. And in this case, like with the children's present, it made it all the more special.

Having fulfilled her reason for paying the Captain a visit, she made for the door; only to have him stop her.

"Fraulein," he ventured cautiously. "Do you have an answer on whether you want to get the court involved? The sooner we act, the better."

She hadn't come down here with that in mind, but it didn't matter. She had her answer ready on her lips. She'd had it since he'd asked her the other night.

She nodded: "Yes."

* * *

 ** _Apfelstrudel_ _mitschlag_ is apple strudel with cream (I'm not sure what type, but I think Maria would be a fan of it. Bastian clearly is too.)  
The birthday celebrations happening the night before is something Maria von Trapp explains in her book. I'm not sure if it would go exactly like this, but...  
Finally, I am running low on pre-written chapters and have only managed to write another one and a half, so I will be publishing the rest a little less frequently (only by a day or so). **


	8. (VII) One Special Night

"Curtain!"

Georg smiled as the curtains on the puppet theatre parted. He'd tried to sneak a peek a moment ago; wish everyone good luck, but had been shooed away by an insistent Marta.

He could not stop smiling as the performance played out. He hadn't seen much the other day; being up on the platform meant he'd seen the children and Fraulein Maria, but not the puppets or what they were doing with them.

They were doing a marvellous job; far better than anything he could've done. Though he'd given them a few pointers, he had to wonder if that had made any difference, or if it was all down to the little Fraulein.

The song was also wonderful. He hadn't heard it before; a few of the older children had mentioned vaguely that Fraulein Maria had actually made it up herself.

Georg did not actually find that hard to believe. Not only did he have no reason to doubt his children or their governess, but she was constantly surprising him. And whether she'd created it with these particular marionettes in mind, or somehow worked them into a song she already knew, it was nothing short of amazing.

Yes, this was definitely all down to the Fraulein.

* * *

"Bravo, bravo."

As soon as the puppets stopped moving everyone started clapping and the room erupted in cheers of "Very good" and "Bravo" and "Wonderful".

The children appeared, some jumping out from the stage, others climbing down the ladders on either side.

"Can we really keep the puppet show, Uncle Max?" Gretl asked.

"Of course you may my darlings," he said as he pinched her five-year old cheeks. "Why else would I have told Professor Kohner to send the bill to your father?"

The comment made Georg pause momentarily as his children, crying out in joy and delight, followed Max out into the foyer. But he couldn't find it in him to be upset as the governess finally appeared at the side of the puppet theatre. She leaned against it and exhaled loudly.

She was wearing a beautiful blue dress of soft, flowing chiffon; looking absolutely lovely. He'd bought it for her on his most recent trip into Salzburg, with some assistance from Liesl, but had only given it to her that morning. As he'd expected, she'd tried to decline, but he'd been insistent.

The fact that she was wearing it now spoke volumes.

He made his way over to her; by now she had caught her breath.

"Well done Fraulein," he smiled. "I really am very, very much impressed."

"They're your children Captain," she shrugged.

'Not all of them,' Georg thought, noticing, for the first time, Bastian standing beside her.

"I'm very impressed with you too," he lowered his eyes to meet the boy's. They shined at the compliment. "Now off you go."

He jerked his head towards the door and, with a huge smile on his face, Bastian skipped out of the ballroom.

He took Elsa's arm and they began walking out themselves; Fraulein Maria a step behind them.

"My dear, is there anything you can't do?" Elsa asked, but her tone was far from genuine.

"Well, I'm not sure I'll make a very good nun."

Unlike the question, there was nothing fake about the young Fraulein's response. With any other woman, that comment would've come off as a self-deprecating joke. But with Fraulein Maria it was completely sincere.

Georg wondered if she was worried about her chosen path.

"Oh, if you have any problems, I'd be happy to help you." Elsa replied flippantly as she exited into the foyer, where an eager looking Max was waiting to speak.

"Attention, attention everyone," he proclaimed. "I have an announcement to make. Surprise, surprise. Today, after a long and desperate search, I have finally found a most exciting entry for the Salzburg Folk Festival."

"Congratulations, Max." Georg said as he pulled the ballroom door shut behind him. "And who will you be exploiting this time?

"Ah-ha" the impresario chuckled, looking every bit the cat that ate the canary.

"The Saint lgnatius Choir?" Elsa ventured. Max told her to guess again.

"Let me see now," mused Georg. "The Klopmann Choir?" It was the only one he could remember. He tended not to pay too much attention to his friend's self-serving coups if he could help it.

Max continued to shake his head, and after a plea from Liesl, announced:

"A singing group all in one family. You'll never guess, Georg."

"What a charming idea!" Georg replied sardonically; for he still didn't care. Max had been in this situation this time last year. He'd be in it again in a year's time. "Uh, whose family?"

Max chuckled walking straight up to Georg and staring at him.

"Yours. They'll be the talk of the festival."

All the children, Bastian included, made noises of excitement, but Georg didn't notice.

His first thought was that Max was joking. He had to be. They had known each other for over half their lives; but this was too much even for him.

He chuckled, waiting for Max to laugh and say 'Fooled you.' But that moment never came. All he did was ask what was so funny.

"You are, Max." he replied, patting his friend on the cheek. "You're uh, expensive, but very funny."

"But you heard them; they'll be a sensation!" Max begged as everyone followed Georg over to the parlour, and he continued to decline the request.

Thinking about it, the signs were there. How many other families had their own singing group? And even if there was one, why would Max announce it so grandly right after the puppet show?

No, Max was serious.

But Georg couldn't let him win this time.

"Max! My children do not sing in public."

His tone wasn't harsh, but it was firm, and he lifted his finger, warning his friend not to pursue it any further.

"Well," Max muttered, wrapping an arm around Liesl. "You can't blame me for trying."

"Children, who shall we hear from next?"

Georg had never been so relieved to hear the young governess speak. The day they'd met, he'd have given almost anything for her to be quiet, and the day he returned from Vienna she'd admitted she was, in her own words, far too outspoken.

But she'd changed the topic and relieved him of the current unpleasant situation.

The children gathered around her, whispering in her ear. After a moment, she cleared her throat, and Georg turned around to find her standing right in front of him.

"The vote is unanimous. You, Captain."

She held out her guitar, startling him.

"Me? I don't understand," he said stupidly. Even with the initial shock, he knew exactly what she was asking.

Why she was asking was what mystified him.

"Please?" she asked.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no" he pushed past her and the children, all of whom stayed silent as they looked at him.

"I'm told that a long time ago you were quite good," the Fraulein continued.

He deflected her comment, but was met with Liesl telling him she remembered, Friedrich asking him to play something they knew and the rest of them joining in.

"Please?"

She begged again. Her voice was so soft; eager without being impetuous, curious without being irritating.

And she looked so utterly gorgeous in that dress.

He had fought for his country; commanded multiple submarines, faced the terrors of war and had been decorated for bravery. And yet, he was powerless to resist her.

"Well…"

* * *

As soon as he had taken the guitar from her hands, Maria moved to stand by the wall; she felt it improper to sit on the sofa with Max and the Baroness. She could vaguely hear them talking to one another, but before she could process it completely, the Captain started singing.

And she forgot everything else.

"Edelweiss, edelweiss…" his voice, a deep rich baritone, floated through the air. It was only a few seconds before he looked up at her. She couldn't help but smile back. He really was as talented as the children had told her. He hadn't been singing for thirty seconds yet and already, everyone present was mesmerized.

The more he sang the more she lost herself in the song. It was beautiful; an old folk song she recalled from many an occasion in her past, but hadn't heard in years.

But it wasn't simply his voice. The song said so much about him. It was, first and foremost, about Austria, and the Captain's love and devotion to his country was so clear it was palpable.

Liesl left her seat next to her father and joined her siblings on the floor. As the Captain began the next verse, she sang along for a few lines, their voices harmonising beautifully. Maria could see that her charges were captivated by the performance as much as she was.

"Bless my homeland forever…"as he sang the final note, he looked up. At her.

The room disappeared and time stood still. The only thing that existed for Maria was the Captain. She could do nothing but gaze back, her mouth slightly open in awe.

Later, Maria would look back on this moment and realise that it was not something that should be happening between a decorated captain and his children's governess. He shouldn't really be looking at her at all; not the way he was, and certainly not for as long as he was. She couldn't explain what exactly made it so different; it was just something she innately knew.

Currently though, she couldn't think. But despite the fact that she could hardly breathe, for one brief, shining moment she could believe what he'd told her. She could believe that she had helped him.

He gave a bashful shrug, and Max started talking, breaking the spell.

"Anytime you say the word, Georg, you can be part of my new act," he announced. "The von Trapp Family Singers."

"I have a wonderful idea, Georg," the Baroness stood up and waltzed her way across the room to stand behind where the Captain was seated. "Let's really fill this house with music. You must give a grand and glorious party for me while I'm here."

"Party?" he queried. The children started crying out before the Baroness could answer.

"I would enjoy that very much sir," Bastian called out from his seat in front of Maria.

The Captain smiled at the boy, but the Baroness wrinkled her nose. Maria had to stop herself from wrinkling her nose back, or worse, calling the woman out on it.

The Baroness returned her gaze to the Captain and continued to make her case. "Yes, I think it's high time I met all your friends here in Salzburg, and they met me," she insisted. "Don't you agree?"

"I see what you mean," he agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

As all eight children started their pleading again Maria jumped in announcing it was bedtime.

They all rose from where they were seated, and began their 'good nights' to the three other adults.

As Maria ushered them all out into the foyer she knew it wouldn't be easy to get them to bed. The promise of a party, following hot on the heels of a touching night with their father, was like Christmas had come early.

"It'll be my first party, Father!" Gretl cheered as she ran out the door.

Maria smiled to herself.

* * *

 _I hope it fits…_

 _Thank you for everything you've done._

 _GvT_

Maria turned the note over in her hand again.

There was nothing particularly mysterious or cryptic about it. It was short and simple; to the point, just like everything else about the Captain. And yet, just like the day he'd arrived back from Vienna and he'd asked her to stay while she was dripping wet on the stairs, there seemed to be a sense of vulnerability to it.

She'd come to see that in the past month. The way he'd connected with his children and Bastian; he was clearly full of remorse and determined to amend the situation, but was unsure when it came to putting it into practise.

It was possible, of course, that she was simply imagining things.

Even after reading the note, she had been shocked that the Captain had given her a dress. Not simply material, but an actual dress.

Maria wasn't one to be materialistic, but she could not deny that it felt nice to own something she hadn't had to make herself. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had that luxury. Whatever else she might've thought on her first night here, this was the prettiest dress she'd ever had.

She walked over to the window, setting the note down on her bedside table.

As she stared out the window she could see that he was outside. Standing on the terrace, looking out pensively over the grounds of the villa.

Maria had thought something had changed the other day in the ballroom, but after tonight she was beginning to rethink that. What had happened then was completely coincidental; she'd already convinced herself of that.

But the way he'd looked at her at the end of the song. There was nothing accidental about that. She'd been lost to the music the entire time he'd been singing, but that one moment had stretched on for what seemed like forever.

She had never seen him like that, and no one had ever looked at her that way before.

Maria already knew she wasn't going to sleep much tonight.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed. Also hope that Maria's dress wasn't too abrupt; I didn't realise I hadn't mentioned it in the story until I'd started this chapter. Also, another shameless line-borrow; this time from _Camelot_.**


	9. (VIII) Boundaries

Georg stared out over the grounds.

The children and their governess were getting ready for bed and Max and Elsa were having a nightcap. He was alone, and everything was silent.

It was rather unusual, to say the least. He was surprised at how quickly he had gotten used to the noise and laughter. It had only been a month, yet it felt like forever.

The house hadn't been this silent since before he had been in Vienna. Before Maria had entered his life.

Maria.

At times he could hardly believe that this young woman had frustrated him so much the day they met. Now he couldn't think about her without feeling better in some way.

It wasn't simply because she had opened his eyes to reality and brought music into his life once more. He thought she was good company and, when he did get answers out of her, found they agreed on a great many things. Since her arrival, Maria had come to be a close friend in Georg's mind; and he wasn't the type of person who had many of those.

He was worried he had gone too far the other day; reaching out to touch her hand as he instructed her on how to use the marionettes. But it didn't matter anymore. She hadn't noticed.

And even if she had, things had changed again since then; rendering the moment irrelevant.

When he looked into her eyes earlier he had paused and his breath had hitched. He had always thought that, in one way or another, she was quite attractive. But in that moment she had been so much more. The only word he could use to describe her was beautiful.

And thus, everything had changed. She was not his children's governess anymore. No longer Fraulein Maria. She was simply Maria.

The last time he'd had feelings akin to these had been when Agathe was alive. Even Elsa, the woman he'd been more or less courting since last year had not elicited these sorts of feelings in him. And she was keeping his company constantly; flirting with him, complimenting him, kissing him on the cheek. Maria, in contrast, had been doing nothing but standing there.

And she was still infinitely more desirable.

A cool breeze blew through the trees beside the lake. Shivering slightly, for reasons other than the cold, Georg made his way inside the villa. He arrived at his suite, readied himself for bed and fell asleep.

He dreamed of Maria.

* * *

Elsa Schraeder did not like feeling uneasy.

Unfortunately, she had been feeling that way for a good fifteen hours. Ever since that puppet show.

The performance itself had been marvellous; even she, with her sophisticated tastes, could not deny that Georg's children were very talented, and their governess a remarkable tutor.

No it wasn't the performance that had left her feeling worried, but rather everything that had surrounded it last night. Even Georg agreeing to host the grand and glorious party she'd suggested couldn't erase her newfound trepidation.

She had been surprised, to say the least, when Georg had accepted his children's plea for him to sing, and the shock had never really gone away. She could see his talent, but that didn't mean it didn't feel somewhat unnatural to see Georg singing.

Though he had made it quite clear he was not very partial to music, she had seen him around it often enough before she'd come to Aigen. Mostly it had been at the never-ending parade of parties they'd attended. He was gentleman enough not to let his personal tastes ruin her evening and had kept his thoughts to himself as he waltzed her around the floor time and time again.

But a musical instrument in his hands and his voice accompanying a melody was more than unexpected. It was wrong.

It was nothing like the Georg von Trapp that had visited her in Vienna. That Captain would never have picked up a guitar, much less played it at the request of his children. The children he'd never talked about beyond the fact that they existed.

But just as she knew she'd be lying if she told herself Georg's performance wasn't bothering her, she'd be lying if she tried to convince herself that he had sung the song because the children had asked him.

He had sung because Fraulein Maria had asked him.

Georg certainly seemed a little too close to the governess than he should be. Maybe it was because he was spending a generous amount of time with the children, and she seemed to be wherever they were; but in her heart, Elsa knew it wasn't that simple.

He hadn't batted an eye when the girl needed a place for her cousin to stay. Elsa had no idea why this was the case and, quite frankly, had no desire to discover the reason, but she wasn't particularly happy that her host had done that; essentially adding another child into the daily routine.

It wouldn't have been so bad if Georg had fewer children. Or more well-behaved children. They weren't bad per se, but they were so wild! Especially given their father was a decorated Naval commander who touted how regulation ruled his life.

That would have to change after they were married, Elsa decided. Thankfully, Fraulein Maria would be back at the Abbey by then. Georg had apparently given up on keeping the staff in line when he gave up on disciplining his children.

No, it wasn't the performance that had changed him. All it did was make her realise he had changed.

And the reason for that was, once again, Fraulein Maria.

Elsa hadn't really thought too much about the old adage of 'ignorance is bliss', but now it seemed very relevant. Maybe that was the problem; she was starting to know Georg too well.

If only one thing was clear to her it was this; Fraulein Maria had overstepped her boundaries. And if Georg wasn't going to do anything about her, she would do it herself.

* * *

She caught the girl after lunch. The children were nowhere nearby, thank goodness, so she decided to seize the moment before it was gone.

"Maria," she called, trying her best to sound pleasant. "I wonder if I could have a word with you."

The governess looked startled for a moment, then confused, but she still made her way over to her.

"The children did such a lovely job last night, my dear," Elsa continued.

"Oh, uh, thank you, Baroness," she fumbled.

Elsa hadn't expected her to be overly receptive to compliments; such things would surely be forbidden in a convent, but the way her eyes were cast down and she was shuffling from one foot to the other was starting to get annoying.

In some ways she was no better than the children.

"I was thinking it might be nice if they did something similar at the party," she pressed.

That caught the Fraulein's attention. For a moment she looked happy, almost hopeful. Then her face fell.

"Would the Captain allow it?" Maria asked. The way he had reacted to Max's suggestion, she wouldn't have been surprised if her employer had requested supervision for every future musical activity his children pursued or forbidden his friend from being present when they did.

"I don't see why not," the other woman replied. It seemed as though the Baroness had yet to discuss this with the Captain. Maria wasn't sure how she felt about that. She liked the idea, and thought the children would feel the same, but still felt somewhat uneasy.

"Max wants to send them all over the country," the Baroness continued, noticing her apprehension. "In this instance they'd simply be performing in their own home for some close family friends."

She still seemed all too breezy about it but Maria did not want to cross this woman. Unlike the Captain and Max; who, despite their aristocratic status, seemed to enjoy keeping the company of the children and, by extension their governess, Baroness Schraeder was every bit the refined, well-bred lady expected of her station. The kind of glamorous woman who had never worked a day in her life, but knew which glass you drank the red wine out of when you sat down to dinner. All Viennese elegance and charm; leaving Maria completely out of her depth in her presence.

"Alright," she nodded. Even she couldn't deny that the Captain was unlikely to decline when it was put that way. "That sounds like a great idea. I'm sure the children will love it."

The barest hint of a smile graced the Baroness' lips for a moment. Maria waited for her to say something, and after the air became uncomfortable, announced she needed to get back to her charges.

"Ah, Maria dear," the Baroness called just as she reached the doorway.

She turned back to face the woman.

"Only Georg's children."

* * *

Maria tried not to be upset at what the Baroness had said as she made her way outside. She was, after all, completely right. She was going to be the children's new mother, while Maria was only a temporary governess.

Still, part of her did take her cousin being denied something to heart.

Though she was almost certain the children would love the idea of performing at the party for their Father's guests, she wanted to talk to the Captain about what Baroness Schraeder had said.

No; she needed to talk to the Captain about what Baroness Schraeder had said. She didn't want to do it at all.

But she would.

* * *

"Come in," Georg called tiredly upon hearing the knock. It was nearing night time and he was looking forward to a good night's sleep.

His plans disappeared when his study door opened and Maria walked in.

"Ah M-Fraulein," he smiled, his weariness forgotten. "What can I do for you?"

Just seeing her lifted his spirits, and he barely realised that he'd come this close to calling her by her given name.

Just like in his dream last night.

 _"Maria."_

 _Her face was cradled gently in his hands and his eyes were locked on hers. Had there ever been a more beautiful creature with a more perfectly fitting name? Georg didn't think so._

 _"Captain," she breathed. Her voice was as soft and husky as his and, as she had spoken, Georg's eyes moved and settled on her mouth. Her pink lips were parted slightly, and he found he couldn't stand it anymore._

 _His lips came crashing down on hers. She responded in turn, kissing him back with just as much ferocity._

 _Georg moaned. Oh her lips were divine. He could spend the rest of his life kissing those lips and he would be perfectly happy._

He shook his head to rid the image from his mind. But she didn't seem to have noticed that, or the word that had almost escaped his lips. She looked up for barely a second before turning her eyes to the floor.

"It's about the party," she answered. Her voice was soft.

"Mmm hmm."

"Well, the, um, the Baroness suggested the children should do some sort of performance that night."

Georg was taken aback. Not because the idea of the children performing at the party had come up, but because it was at Elsa's suggestion. While he would've strongly disagreed, and fought her on it, he half expected her to insist on the children disappearing completely on the night.

He didn't have time to think over it anymore, because his companion was still talking.

"I know what you said the other night," she rambled, pacing the room. Georg guessed there was more she had to say. "But the performance would be for your guests in their home and I think they would enjoy it very much…"

"You haven't asked them?" he interrupted.

"No," she replied, finally meeting his eyes with her own. "I thought I should-"

"-check with me?" he smirked.

She nodded.

"Fraulein, you are absolutely right," he affirmed. "I have no issues with my children performing under my own roof for my friends."

"Oh well, thank you then sir," she replied a little too quickly. "I'll be going now."

"Fraulein," he asked, before she had even moved a step. "What else is there?"

He knew there was more. Her reserved demeanour when she entered had heralded that she needed to speak with him, and from the fact that it hadn't disappeared he knew she had yet to mention it.

She didn't say anything but didn't deny it either. She simply started shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Fraulein?" he prompted her.

"The Baroness also seemed to imply that she, um, didn't want Bastian to participate."

Of course. Now it made sense. Society dictated that his children be present at the ball, whether or not Elsa liked it. She would know that, naturally, and was willing to allow his children to hide in the shadows that evening, as long as she could lock Maria's cousin in the metaphorical closet and throw away the key.

She was using the performance to keep Maria in line. And Maria, the innocent that she was, had no idea. Georg would bet almost anything that Elsa hadn't implied anything when she'd spoken to her.

"I suppose she thinks I'm overstepping my boundaries," Maria added. She looked up at him. "And I cannot deny; I haven't stopped thinking about that since Bastian arrived. I-"

"Fraulein," he held up his hand, cutting her off mid-sentence. She relaxed slightly, so he continued: "You said it yourself the children will be performing in front of my guests. Bastian is a guest, and if he wishes to participate in the performance he may. I will talk to Elsa; she has no authority on this."

He was glad to see her relax even more, and couldn't help but smile a little. This woman was a ray of sunshine. His subconscious made it very clear he wanted her as something more than a friend, but he would not do that.

Irrespective of the fact that she was a postulant, she deserved so much more. She brought happiness into the lives of everyone she met and yet she couldn't see it. Because of a broken past he was not willing to shatter again for his own selfish whim.

"As for overstepping your boundaries, you have not done that. I can see why you might think that, but I assure you it isn't the case. I will let you know if you have," he added. "As long as you do not mention it again. Alright?"

"Yes, sir," she nodded resolutely. "Well, I'll be going."

Georg nodded as she walked out the door. As soon as it had closed he sighed. If anyone was overstepping their boundaries it was definitely him. His dream was proof enough of that. He'd stopped thinking of her as 'Fraulein' for goodness sakes.

And when she'd walked out, he'd so badly wanted to stop her. To stop her and kiss her; to see if her lips were just as sweet in reality as they were in his imagination.


	10. (IX) Scars from the Past

The next day was bright and clear, and everyone wanted nothing more than to enjoy the beautiful weather.

As soon as lunch was over all eight children raced outside; having completed their lessons before they sat down to eat. As Maria followed after them she was reminded once again how exhausting this job could be. She loved every minute of it, but it did drain her every once in a while. There were, after all, eight of them.

She arrived outside a few moments after her charges and found them occupying themselves. Liesl was supervising the little ones' skipping game, while the Captain's sons were tossing the ball around and Bastian and Brigitta were seated in the shade of a tree, engaged in another heated conversation over the fictional worlds of Mark Twain or someone similar.

The only one on her own was Louisa.

Remembering her promise, Maria headed in the girl's direction. She still had time before she had to return to the Abbey, but the summer couldn't last forever. Before she knew it, September would be here and she wouldn't. She didn't want to leave without knowing Louisa like she knew the others.

* * *

"Louisa?" she asked cautiously as she approached the girl, who looked up at her but didn't say anything.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes Fraulein, I'm alright," she replied. She didn't sound sad, but she didn't seem particularly happy either. And she wasn't smiling. Just like her father, it was rare for the thirteen year old to show her emotions.

"Louisa," she sat down next to the thirteen year old. "If you want to talk, about anything, I'm here."

"Thank you."

The Captain's second-eldest daughter was a stubborn girl. She seemed to be in no hurry to tell her governess – or anyone else – what was on her mind. Maria didn't want to pressure her, but she didn't want her to suffer in silence either.

Maybe a little prying was exactly what she needed right now.

"Is it about your brothers and sisters?"

Louisa shook her head. Maria hadn't realised it until then, but she was glad the girl hadn't lashed out at her.

"Bastian?"

Another shake of the head.

"The Baroness?"

"Well, I don't really li-" she began, but Maria, knowing where the comment was headed, shot her a look and she went silent.

"No, it's not her," she answered.

"Is it the party?"

The girl's face changed ever so slightly, and Maria knew her assumption was correct. And Louisa seemed to know too, because she sighed, closed her eyes and raised her face to the sky.

"Mama died right after the last party we had."

Maria had briefly heard snippets from the older children about their mother. Gretl and Marta had no memory of her at all, and Kurt and Brigitta's recollections were hazy at best. But Liesl and Friedrich had several clear memories of the first Baroness von Trapp.

And apparently so did Louisa.

Amidst the happy tales of the family singing or going for picnics, Friedrich had told her his mother had died from the scarlet fever little more than a month after Gretl was born and Liesl had admitted she was sick around that time.

But she hadn't heard about this. Things were starting to make a little more sense. She might have just found her opening to the girl's world; for this clearly meant something to her that it didn't to her siblings.

"Louisa, it wasn't the party. Your mother was sick."

"I was sick," Louisa snapped, exasperated. "I couldn't go to the party because I was sick. I made her sick. It's my fault she died."

So Louisa had been sick too. No wonder she was so closed off and took her mother's death the hardest; she blamed herself for it.

Maria remembered when her own father had died; also from scarlet fever. She had been sent away so she didn't get sick herself, and returned to the news that she had to now go live with her uncle. Given the situation, she hadn't ever felt helplessness or remorse like this.

But she did know one thing. That may have been Louisa's secret. But it didn't make it true.

"It's not your fault. You couldn't help your mother catching the fever anymore than you could help catching it yourself."

The girl nodded in understanding. But given that this conversation had originated from a mention of the party, Maria knew there was more that needed to be said.

"Louisa, look at me."

Her tone was enough to make the girl look at her.

"No one is going to get sick after this party.

"I know, but-" she choked out. "I know that it wasn't the party, but I-"

Wordlessly, Maria reached out and touched Louisa's shoulder. She automatically leaned into the embrace and was soon breathing heavily in her governess' arms.

The two sat there for a few moments, but eventually, Maria slowly reached up and unbuttoned the first few buttons on her dress.

Her bare upper back; marred forever with scars she'd received the day she left home was now exposed. With the exception of Natascha; whom she had run to immediately afterward, she hadn't shown them to anyone. She guessed the Captain knew about them in some way; he'd seen her touch her back the day she'd received the letter, but he hadn't seen them firsthand.

"What's this?" Louisa asked. By her tone she was clearly rather puzzled.

"After my father died, I was sent to live with my uncle," Maria said. Her hand had automatically moved to her back. For once she was glad; it made explaining things easier.

"He did this to you?"

"No," she replied softly. Though it would've been easier to simply say yes, she couldn't lie. "But he did many other things. Horrible things."

She inhaled deeply. Louisa remained silent, so she continued.

"Whenever I think about that time in my life, I touch my scars. Subconsciously. I know he can't hurt me anymore; that that time is long in the past, but I can't stop myself."

"So?"

"So, I think you might have something similar. Your brain knows the party had nothing to do with your mother's death, but your mind can't believe that?"

Louisa nodded. "Yes," she breathed. "Yes, it's exactly like that. What do you do?"

"I try not to think about it," Maria answered. "But if I do, I don't fight it."

It had taken her a long time to reach that point. It had been five years since that night when her uncle's custody had quite literally scarred her for life. For most of the time since she had been ashamed to touch her back; afraid that she was giving into the horror by acknowledging the scars' existence.

It wasn't really something that had happened to change everything; there was no monumental event that had made things suddenly click. It simply came down to the passage of time. The more time went by, the less she thought about it, and the less she touched the scars; until one day touching them brought back a painful, but brief memory and nothing more.

"You want me to be sad?" Louisa asked, incredulous.

Maria shook her head. "No. But I think you are causing yourself more pain this way. How much have you tried to think of other things?"

"All the time," the girl admitted sheepishly.

"And has it worked?" she asked, smiling slightly because they both knew the answer.

"If you stop trying to avoid thinking about it, I'm pretty sure you'll actually think about it less," she added.

"You think so?"

Maria nodded. She knew so, because she had done the same.

"Maybe you could talk to your father about this?" she ventured.

She didn't want to jump to assumptions about her employer; Heaven knows how different he was from her original expectations. But one thing she did know was that he had fought in the war. She figured it was a safe bet he would have some experience with what Louisa was going through. If nothing else, it would be a nice bonding moment between father and daughter.

Louisa made a noise that sounded as though she was thinking along the same lines as her governess. "I might," she whispered. "Thank you Fraulein."

"My pleasure."

Just then, Friedrich called out to his sister, asking her if she wanted to join in their game. She nodded her head and ran over to her brothers with a huge grin on her face; the sad, worried child Maria had been talking to a moment ago nowhere to be found.

She smiled as she watched the siblings play together. Though she knew she still had a fair way to go with Louisa, she was happy to have made a start. And if nothing else, she knew that most of all Louisa wanted to have a good time. You just had to let her have a good time.

Let her and help her.

* * *

"You just can't win with her," grumbled Louisa. "We know she's interested in dresses. She's always talking about things like that."

Maria was helping her charges prepare for bed. The regular discussions of what story the little ones would choose at bedtime and what tomorrow's plans were had ended and the conversation had turned to Baroness Schraeder.

During dinner Liesl had asked her father's guest a question about the upcoming party and what dress the she would be wearing. The Baroness hadn't bothered to disguise her disinterest and answered with a single-word reply before turning and talking directly to the Captain again.

Liesl brushed off her sister's comment diplomatically, a skill Maria didn't doubt she had honed since her mother passed away, while Marta innocently queried why her elder siblings were discussing such a topic.

Maria was tried not to be too disheartened. While the Baroness did not seem to have warmed to the children, or made much of an effort to get to know them, she hadn't been mean to them. And it was obvious that she wasn't accustomed to children, so her standoffish nature could be nothing more than uncertainty.

Maria dearly hoped that was the case.

After all, Frau Schmidt had told her on her first evening that the Captain was planning to marry the Viennese socialite, and that it was likely to happen before the summer ended.

"It's very important that you children like the Baroness," she said, trying to sound casual.

"I like her," Brigitta replied. "All right, anyway."

"Why is it important," Kurt asked.

"Well," the governess continued. She knew that at least some of her charges knew what was going on. "I think she's going to be your new mother."

The children didn't seem very happy about that prospect, and did not try to hide it; most of them wearing confused expressions or grimaces.

All except Bastian.

The boy looked shocked. His eyes were wide, his face was white and his mouth hung open for a moment in disbelief before it closed, setting into a straight, hard line.

To his cousin, he didn't look like he was feeling disbelief. Not anymore.

He was feeling betrayed.

* * *

"Bastian?" Maria knocked hesitantly on the door. "May I come in?"

"I suppose so," her cousin's voice sounded dejected. He had left the room as soon as he'd finished his night-time preparations; he hadn't run, but his eagerness to leave had still been palpable.

She entered the room, closing the door behind her. Bastian was sitting on his bed, his eyes focused on his hands in his lap, slowly twiddling his thumbs.

"Are you alright?"

"It's nice that the children will have a new mother," he replied bitterly, not meeting her eyes.

"Bastian," Maria said, already knowing her response was weak. "We all knew this was going to happen eventually."

"Really?" Bastian still seemed upset, but there was still a faint hint of curiosity. "Because I've heard nothing about it; from what I can see, the Captain doesn't like the Baroness the way he should. If they're going to marry, I mean."

"I'm sure he loves her very much," Maria replied absently. "But that wasn't what I was talking about. We both knew we wouldn't be around forever. You've made friends with the children. Do you want them to be upset?"

"No, of course not," Bastian's voice softened, but only momentarily. When he spoke again, the biting edge had returned.

"But I may as well not have a father."

His words felt like a slap. The boy was usually so happy; it was so easy to forget that he had lost his mother only a couple of months ago. Maria remembered it had taken her much longer to come to terms with the fact that her father had died, let alone make peace with it.

"I know nothing about him," he continued, breaking Maria from her reverie. "You won't tell me anything. Only that you'll keep me safe, but I'm not being told about that."

"Well, the Captain suggested maybe getting the court involved; so that your father wouldn't have custody…."

At those words Bastian looked more stunned and hurt than he had all evening; which was saying something, and Maria knew what she had said was wrong. What she had said, but more importantly, what she had done.

"But I can talk to him this very evening and we can call the whole thing off," she assured him hurriedly, trying to amend the situation. "If that's what you want."

"So not only are you planning my life," Bastian was seething. "But I'm not even told about it? I don't get a say in it. In whether I want to live with my father?"

Maria's mind flashed with images of her uncle. Bastian's father. There hadn't been one day, in the entire decade she'd lived with him, that hadn't contained something horrible; the brunt of them physical. Nobody should go through that; especially not at the hands of their own family. Living with Hans Kutschera was asking for misery, as far as Maria was concerned. But Bastian still didn't seem to understand.

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"You do that, Sebastian, and you will be beaten!" Maria screamed.

Everything was silent for a moment. Both cousins seemed shocked at what had just happened. Maria's face was white as a sheet and she was panting heavily. The last time she had been this angry was the day the Captain had returned and they had argued by the lake. Before that, she couldn't remember.

Maria was not, by nature, an angry girl. She was impulsive and outspoken, stubborn and headstrong, overactive in both her actions and her imagination. But when it came to accepting the fate she had been dealt, she was as mild and as meek as a mouse no matter how bad the circumstances.

During those moments, she was often sad, but she seldom got angry. Yet just as her cousin had cracked with this evening's developments, so had she.

"So?" Bastian shot back, though after Maria's outburst it seemed more like a whisper. "Aren't most children? I've had a whipping at school every now and then. Friedrich and Kurt told me they've had them too."

Maria had her palm on her heart; desperately trying to steady her breathing. Bastian wasn't wrong. Not only about the whippings, but about the fact that she had kept him in the dark about her plans. She'd been so focused on protecting him that she hadn't included him in any part of it. She'd told him nothing about his father because was worried the topic was too confronting; because she'd been hurt by him in the past.

Of course her cousin wouldn't understand the full extent of what could happen. She hadn't told him. Trying to spare everyone the pain, she had inevitably made things worse.

Now she knew what the Captain had felt like that day.

"Yes, most children have had a whipping," she said cautiously. "But these weren't whippings."

Bastian looked confused, so Maria sat down on the bed beside him. Maybe Bastian could handle the truth.

Even if he couldn't, she needed to tell him.

"The first time he beat me, I was Marta's age," she began. Her voice was slow and even. "He hit me because I arrived home ten minutes late. He dislocated my shoulder. Another time my leg was so bruised I couldn't walk properly for an entire week."

She watched as the boy's eyes widened. She knew she hadn't been forgiven yet; but she hoped he was beginning to understand.

"Bastian, if what you really want to live with your father, I won't stop you."

She didn't even know whether he was still alive or not; nobody seemed to, but she hadn't told her cousin that. And there didn't seem to be a point bringing it up now.

We can talk to the Captain, try and find him…"

She reached out to embrace the boy and felt relieved when he didn't resist. For, as wrong as she had been, it was so hard; saying these words went against everything Maria had believed her whole life, and exactly what she'd been trying to avoid since she left her uncle's house when she was seventeen.

"…but I don't want you to go through what I did. Yes, I've heard the Captain is planning to marry Baroness Schraeder, which will make her the children's new mother. I understand how that can make you desperate for a parent, but you shouldn't want a father just to have one. You should want a father to look up to; to learn from."

"Someone like the Captain?" Bastian murmured quietly. "He's a good father, isn't he?"

"He does his best," Maria answered with a smile.

They sat there in silence for a long time. Maria knew she had betrayed her cousin's trust terribly, but was glad that the night had ended better than it began.

"Bastian," she murmured at last. "I'm sorry I've been withholding information from you. It was wrong of me. I won't keep anything hidden from you ever again. I promise."

Bastian nodded, his eyes wide and the ghost of a smile on his lips. Because if nothing else, he knew that when Maria made a promise, she never broke it.

* * *

 **This chapter draws on some comments made by Sara K M, and for that I am very grateful. On that note, a huge thank you to everyone who has read, favourited and reviewed this story. I'm so glad people are enjoying this.**

 **This also ends the last pre-written chapter. I am currently writing the next chapter, so updates will now be whenever the latest chapter is finished. I hope it won't be too long.**

 **Finally tomorrow's my birthday, and I'd love some more of those reviews. They really make us writers happy.**


	11. (X) More Answers, More Worries

Maria had not been expecting a surprise visit from her employer less than an hour after breakfast. But she couldn't deny she was pleased to put aside the mathematics she was currently attempting to teach her youngest charge.

"Did you come to see how we were doing with our lessons, Father?" the five year old asked, running up to the Captain. "It only took me two tries to get the first problem."

"Well done _schatzi_ ," he replied, planting a kiss on his youngest daughter's forehead before looking up at her. "But I actually came to see your Fraulein."

"Yes, sir?" she asked, rising from her seat and walking over to stand beside him at the door.

"Herr Meissner is here."

The Captain had informed her the other day that he had made contact with a lawyer, who could help the situation with Bastian's father.

Maria nodded, and looked over at her cousin, who immediately put down his book, stood up and followed the two adults out of the classroom.

The Captain raised his eyebrow.

"Bastian should be involved," she said simply. "It is his life that we are dealing with."

After last night the boy had decided that he wanted to at least pursue this course of action, as long as he was part of the experience. Maria couldn't fault that and had agreed, knowing that her cousin deserved that and that she needed to repent for leaving him out of it for as long as she had.

The Captain lowered his eyebrow, but remained silent. Maria wasn't sure how he felt about this, but after her actions towards her cousin thus far, wasn't going to let his reaction – whatever it was – stop her.

When they arrived at the Captain's office, he opened the door and ushered Maria and Bastian inside. A man was seated in one of the chairs in front of the Captain's desk. Herr Meissner. Maria noted that he wasn't sitting in the same chair she usually sat in when she and the Captain had their meetings; a fact that right now relaxed her more than it probably should've, and definitely would've otherwise.

"Samuel," the Captain made the introductions. "This is Maria Rainer and Sebastian Dreschner. Bastian, Fraulein, this is Samuel Meissner. He'll be the lawyer in charge of our case; if you still want to go through with this."

Maria's heart skipped. The Captain had called her Maria. No Fraulein, no 'the governess' but just Maria. She had no idea why it made her heart skip; it was perfectly clear he'd said it only to introduce her to Herr Meissner. He'd called her 'Fraulein' when he'd spoken directly to her. That had to be proof there was nothing going on.

And yet, he'd said 'our case'. Not hers, not Bastian's, but 'ours'. As in theirs. While that was just another moment that showed he cared about her cousin greatly, which made her happy, the exact words had made her pause. It had almost sounded like he thought they were a couple.

But that was preposterous. He had Elsa Schrader; a beautiful, rich, cultured if not particularly maternal, _baroness_ as his future bride. And when the summer was over, she would take her vows, become a nun and never see him again.

Right?

Maria tried to convince herself that that was exactly what would happen. The truth was, since the night of the puppet show, she hadn't been feeling like herself. And the reason was standing in the room.

Not only had the Captain been invading her waking thoughts more frequently, he had started to appear in her dreams. That wouldn't have been so bad; if the scenes in her mind had any resemblance to the real interactions they'd had many times before; that had happened on occasion.

But they weren't.

In her dreams she was doing things that she'd never done with anyone, least of all Captain von Trapp. She couldn't explain how the dreams made her feel, even to herself, but she was almost certain that a future nun should not be feeling such things.

Last night had been a particularly alarming one, and she had hardly slept at all. But it was more than that; the dreams had consumed in a way nothing else had before, not even music or her mountain. That alone was scaring her somewhat.

No wonder she had snapped at Bastian.

"Fraulein," a voice broke her from her thoughts. His voice, asking her a question.

"I'm sorry sir," she sighed. "I'm a little tired. What did you say?"

"I asked if you still want to do this?" the Captain repeated.

"Yes," Maria confirmed. "I do."

"Bastian?"

The boy nodded. He didn't seem as certain as she was, but that was fair enough. And, considering where his thoughts had been the previous night, and the fact the situation was dealing with his father, he was on board enough for them to continue. And the Captain asking for his answer proved that he at the very least, did not object to Bastian involvement in the proceedings.

"So, were you thinking of trying to force your uncle to relinquish custody of the boy?" Herr Meissner asked.

Maria nodded.

"On what grounds?"

"The fact that he is unfit to be a parent or care for a child," she replied, sounding far more confident than she felt. "He beat me for the ten years I lived with him."

Herr Meissner looked bored. "Fraulein Rainer, with all due respect, that is not really of interest. Discipline is not a bad thing; every child has had a whipping at some point or another and-"

"This isn't discipline!" Bastian interrupted. The three adults turned to face him.

"I've had whippings," he continued, impassioned. "They don't leave you with broken bones or unable to walk."

Both men looked shocked. Automatically Maria lowered her eyes to the floor.

"Is this true, Fraulein?" the lawyer asked.

Maria nodded mutely.

"Yes," she murmured after a moment. "He broke many of my bones on multiple occasions, when I had done nothing to warrant such a punishment. I have no reason to believe he won't do the same to Bastian."

Herr Meissner sighed. "As horrible as that is, there's a chance that this won't be enough in the court. Not that it's completely useless, but I think it would be best if you had some more evidence."

Maria's heart sunk. Just like that, it was over. Bastian would be living with his father. A father who would physically and mentally abuse him; while leaving him to pave his own way in the world.

The same thing he had – or rather, hadn't – done for her. Because her uncle was too lazy and selfish to give anyone a decent life. Including himself.

And, just like that, it was back.

"What about the fact that my uncle doesn't have the necessary means to provide a life for Bastian?" she blurted, still buzzing from her realisation and oblivious to the three other people in the room.

"Such as?" Herr Meissner asked calmly.

Maria explained that, if Bastian's life were to follow the path that hers had, he would be sleeping in the loft – which had been full of cockroaches – with only one blanket, leaving him too hot during the summertime but freezing during the winter months.

She didn't mention the fact that she'd had to cut up said blanket over the years to lengthen her dirndls – that had always been her little secret – but she wasn't shy about the fact that her uncle had neglected to provide her with clothes to the point where she had had to take matters into her own hands and make them herself. That it was the same when it came to shoes. Of course she couldn't make them herself, and so, on several occasions her feet had literally burst out of her shoes and she'd had to wear her snow boots whenever she left the house.

She'd had to cook all her meals herself; from the time she was seven, without any instruction. Same with the laundry, which was hard enough already in a wooden house high in the mountains. Given Herr Meissner's comment she didn't bother mentioning she'd also done those tasks for her uncle as well. Everyone present already knew that was the case anyway.

"I don't think he could change anything even if he wanted to," Maria concluded. "At least when it comes to living arrangements. He doesn't have the money."

'Not that he would want to,' her conscience added. But what she had said was true, so remained silent.

Herr Meissner was silent for a long moment, considering all Maria had said.

"With those two pieces of evidence put together…" he mused. "It might just work. But we'll still have to fight very hard. And we'll need to make sure Sebastian has a good, solid home to go to, or none of it will matter."

"Alright then," Maria nodded slowly. She knew she didn't have all the answers, but she would deal with the specifics later. "Anything else?"

"No," Herr Meissner shook his head. "I have everything I need."

"I hope we can do something," he added, looking down at Bastian. "Those sorts of things are just wrong."

"Thank you," the Captain replied, both solemn and grateful. Knowing this was her cue to leave, and that she had a lot to think about, Maria headed out the door, Bastian following behind.

Georg watched them go; as if in a new light. He had felt literally sick at Maria's words. Years in the Imperial Navy had provided him with his iron-clad sense of discipline, as well as a strong stomach. Yet it had taken everything he had not to grab the nearest glass and empty the contents of his stomach into it, right in front of his guests.

In a way, it was even worse than war. For that, terrible and deadly as it was, didn't always have a choice. Much of the time it was hundreds of men trying to prove a long-forgotten and overblown point. This, in contrast, was one person knowingly hurting another for no reason at all. This was nothing but a choice.

The thought of anyone doing such things to another person made his blood boil. But to Maria; sweet, innocent Maria, who was paragon of selflessness and generosity, was unthinkable. No one deserved to be treated that way less than her.

And if she had endured that for as long as she had, and was still as kind and caring as she was now, she was far stronger than anyone thought she was. She was undoubtedly the strongest person he'd ever met.

He finally saw, in crystal-clear detail, what she was trying to do for her cousin. And now more than ever, he was determined to help this boy.

He didn't have to give his decision more than a second of thought.

"Bastian," he called.

The boy looked back at him, and realising what he was asking, headed back towards him, while Maria continued upstairs.

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to know," Georg murmured. "Whatever happens with Maria, you will always have a home here."

Bastian's eyes widened, and Georg was relieved that the boy had understood that he was completely sincere about this.

"Thank you sir," he breathed.

Georg, unsure if he could properly convey his thoughts, nodded in response and watched as the boy ran back up the stairs, before returning to his office with a smile on his face.

* * *

Elsa told herself to stop worrying. Normally, she had nary a care in the world. But now she found herself, with increasing frequency, getting incredibly annoyed.

She had retired to her room ten minutes ago, feeling a migraine starting as a result of the nine people who were still caterwauling downstairs.

She could only imagine they'd gone into the ballroom to spare the other people in the household. This, while a lovely thought, did not work in practice. The children's singing could still be heard clearly from the parlour, even with the doors of the ballroom closed.

But what irritated Elsa most was that she was the only person bothered by instances like this. Max, provided he had a libation in his hands, didn't have much of a preference, but Georg seemed to enjoy them.

She was just short of downright furious at the ultimatum he had given her the other day: Maria's cousin participating in the performance at the party, or no party at all. But of course she agreed. She was too much of a lady to make a scene about it, and in the end it wouldn't really matter.

This party was happening for one reason and one reason only. She wasn't sure if Georg would propose that night, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't. Their engagement was unspoken, whether or not she had a glittering ring on her finger, and everyone in Austria knew it.

She honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Georg never gave her an engagement ring. That really didn't bother her; as long as in the end, there was a wedding ring.

As far as she knew, that was all still happening. Not as soon as she wanted, but there was nothing to suggest Georg had changed his mind. So why was she letting his relationship with the governess get to her?

She didn't like the way he was acting where Maria was concerned; not one bit. It hadn't changed much since the night of the puppet show, but Elsa maintained they were still too close. But it was also clear that _she_ was the problem. And she wouldn't be here forever. When September came she would pack her little bags and be on her merry way off to the convent, taking the boy with her.

And then it would be over for good. Elsa could put up with another six weeks of this madness knowing that when it was over, she would have the undivided attention of Georg von Trapp for the rest of her life.

* * *

 **Like the previous chapter, this part benefitted greatly from comments made by Sara K M. I didn't get too deep into the research, but from what I could find, child abuse was at least acknowledged in certain places around the world in the 1930s. I don't know if Austria was one of those places (the info was scant enough as it was), which is why I added the second argument. Any other inaccuracies I'm going to put down to creative license. This is a world where Salzburg borders Switzerland after all.**

 **Regardless I hope you enjoyed, and I'm glad I could get this up on Bastian's birthday. Thank you for all your reviews.**


	12. (XI) Beneath A Moonless Sky

Maria inhaled deeply, breathing in the crisp night air. It was an absolutely perfect night; not too hot, but not too cold; feeling mostly just fresh and welcoming.

Could there be a better night to host a magnificent ball?

She could faintly hear the music playing from where she stood in the garden just outside the ballroom. It was yet another waltz – the orchestra hadn't played anything different yet – and she couldn't help herself from swaying gently in time to the melody.

She was wearing a new dress tonight. It was hardly appropriate attire for such a 'grand and glorious party', but she was the governess and didn't need to worry about such things.

She'd briefly considered wearing her blue dress, but had eventually decided against it. As pretty as that dress was, Maria was almost frightened by it. She had only worn it once; she was so worried she would damage it. She had never owned anything that delicate.

Of course she could see now it was hardly delicate compared to the glittering evening gowns all the women were wearing tonight. The fabric was closer to the gowns being worn by the guests than to her other dresses, but the garment itself did not belong here tonight.

She felt far more comfortable in this dress. It was nicer than any of her other day dresses, with a pale blue bodice and an intricate floral pattern on the skirt and sleeves. But, most importantly, it wasn't silk or chiffon or organza or something no different to tissue paper in Maria's mind, but linen and cotton. She found that far more practical and in turn, felt more at ease.

Being the governess, Maria was only required to be present until they children said their goodnights. For all intents and purposes, tonight she was one of them; hiding in the background and do little outside of watching from afar.

She wanted the children to enjoy the party, and for their performance to go well. She hoped that the Captain, who had seemed hesitant to throw this event in the first place and exasperated at all the preparations, had a good time. And in a romantic, starry-eyed way she hoped that Liesl's wish to taste champagne and stay up longer than her siblings would come true.

But she knew better than to wish for anything herself. This wasn't her place and it wasn't her world. And even if she had the opportunity, she wouldn't know what to wish for.

And yet she couldn't help but want _something_ to happen. She couldn't think of anything specific, but part of her wanted more than to stand on the sidelines watching with the children. She wasn't Cinderella; not even close. But this was still the only chance she would ever have to attend a ball.

On three separate occasions each boy had promised her a dance that night. So she knew that, if nothing else, she would get a dance. Or three.

Knowing that standing alone in the gardens was not only a sure-fire way for that something not to happen, but also not the best thing for the governess to do, she sighed and headed back towards the party and her charges.

* * *

She turned around the corner of the maze to find Liesl and Friedrich waltzing playfully around the courtyard while the other children watched.

"Why didn't you children tell me you could dance?" she asked brightly.

"We were afraid you'd make us all dance together," Kurt replied, spinning around in a circle. "The von Trapp Family Dancers."

Everyone laughed at the youngest von Trapp son's actions, stopping when they noticed the music had changed.

"What's that they're playing?" Gretl asked.

"It's the Laendler," Bastian announced authoritatively. "It's an Austrian folk dance."

"You know it?"

Maria was, in the best way possible, surprised that her cousin knew the dance. She had learned the dance when she was about his age, and fallen in love with it. The music more than anything; it was after all, the tune she and Natascha had paired with their lyrics to create _The Lonely Goatherd_. But, with the exception of the puppet show, she hadn't heard it since she was a child. She certainly hadn't danced it since then.

"Mmm-hmm," Bastian continued. "We had to learn it at school last year. I don't remember everything though. Show me?"

"Oh, Bastian," Maria sighed. However much she loved the dance, and whatever the boys had promised her, this was not what she had in mind. "I haven't danced that since I was a little girl."

"You remember?" he asked eagerly. "Please?"

"Well…"

"Please?"

He was joined by seven other voices this time, all accompanied by faces looking at her imploringly.

"Alright," she caved. "Come on over here."

"My teacher said the left hand behind the back," Bastian said.

"Yes, that's right," Maria smiled. "But first, the boy and girl meet. So you bow, and I curtsy."

She bobbed down while her cousin bent at the waist.

"Now we go for a little walk, this way," she began, reaching out, taking the boy's hand and turning so they were ready to start.

"One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three, step together."

Maria stepped forward to the beat and Bastian followed. A moment later, they faced each other and joined both hands for the next step. "Now, step hop, step hop," she instructed as they skipped in tandem back across the courtyard. "Now turn under."

The difference in height landed the cousins in an awkward tangle of arms as they continued with the dance.

"Not quite," she decided.

They tried again, hop-stepping their way back towards the von Trapp children and the door to the ballroom. But, while they had managed, however clumsily, to execute the turn last time, they weren't quite as lucky, and struggled for a moment longer.

"We'll have to practise," Maria concluded, giving up for the moment.

"Do allow me, will you?"

She barely heard the voice, or the reply, and turned around to find her employer standing before her rather than her cousin.

She had caught glimpses of him since the party started, but now she could properly see him. He was dressed like the other men, in a white tie and tailcoat. But not all the men had medals, and even those that did couldn't compete with Captain von Trapp.

The Reverend Mother had described him as 'a fine man, and a brave one' when she told Maria about the von Trapps. Though the first impression he had made on her had shocked her greatly, in time he had proved the Abbess' words to be true. He was indeed an incredible man.

And if the children's stories of their father's many decorations hadn't convinced her of his courage, then seeing the medals pinned to the breast of his jacket did. But more than that was the Maria-Theresian cross hanging around his neck.

The highest military honour in all Austria.

It was held around his neck by a red and white striped ribbon, a miniature Austrian flag to match the one hanging in the hallway; proudly showing his love for his homeland; the reason for his valour. The red of the ribbon coordinated with the other medals he wore, while the white matched perfectly to the white of his dress shirt and gloves.

 _His gloves._

One white gloved hand was extended towards her like an invitation. His eyes were asking the question.

She answered almost immediately; hesitating for only a second before reaching her own hand out for him to take.

* * *

Georg was walking through the ballroom when the band started playing the Laendler. For a moment, he was disappointed. While he usually had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, onto the dance floor for a minute more than was socially acceptable, this folk dance had always held a special place in his heart.

But Elsa wouldn't dance this with him; or anyone, for that matter. It was too common for her.

And every other woman already had a partner.

Figuring he may as well spend the time with the children, he made for the courtyard. And found Maria entangled with Bastian, trying to perform the dance.

He might just get to dance the Laendler yet.

By the time the cousins had failed the turn a second time, he was tapping the boy on the shoulder and holding out his hand, wordlessly asking Maria if she wanted to dance.

By the time it would've taken him to rethink the idea of asking his children's governess to dance a dance of courtship with him, she had placed her hand in his and it was already too late.

* * *

He saw Maria smile, somewhat shyly, at him as he led her out across the courtyard, and then as they step-hopped back the way they had come, ending with the under-arm turn.

As she twirled under him and the dance progressed, Georg noticed how graceful she was. This was the woman who regaled his children with tales about climbing trees and rolling on the grass, when she wasn't stumbling and tripping over her own feet as she went about her day? The woman whose childhood boasted scraped knees and torn dresses? In that moment she was just as poised and graceful as any of the ladies in the ballroom.

Her smile had widened; all traces of hesitation now long gone. He couldn't help but smile back. He had never enjoyed dancing this much before; it had been pleasant with Agathe, forced with Elsa and forgettable with anyone else.

But with Maria, it was magical.

They spun and stepped together, each movement bringing them closer to a whole new world, where nothing existed but the starlight, the music and them.

As Maria clutched her skirts and skipped around the Captain, she didn't feel clumsy or awkward. In addition to the music, one of the reasons she loved the Laendler was because it wasn't always fluid and elegant as other dances.

This move in particular had always felt clunky to her, making it both simultaneously her favourite and least favourite part of the dance. But skipping to her favourite childhood tune while her employer clapped along, Maria felt anything but self-conscious. She hadn't felt that way for the entire dance. When she was Bastian and Kurt's age some insecurity would've arisen by now.

But it hadn't. Tonight was just a beautiful dream beneath a moonless sky.

It was as she reached out and took his hand from over his shoulder that she realised it was more than the steps. This was it; her _something_. That mysterious, unknown thing she had wanted to happen to her tonight.

She followed him without hesitation, slipping around him, ready to head into the final stages of the dance. She only felt contentment as both her hands grasped both of the Captain's; one resting near her waist and the other held high over their heads as they spun around, once, twice, before changing directions to spin again.

One.

Two.

Three.

Maria hadn't taken her eyes off the Captain's since they had changed directions. Though nothing about the dance had changed, with each spin her head seemed to spin faster and faster, whirling out of control until she couldn't think straight.

She found she couldn't move either, and the dance came to a premature halt. Her grip on the Captain's hand slackened, her arm dropped and feeling foggy, she stepped back.

"I don't remember anymore," she stammered breathlessly.

She noticed that the Captain looked slightly shocked and, if she didn't know any better, sad. She couldn't blame him; while they had both lowered their arms at the same time, she had been the one to pull away. The fact that she had been enjoying the dance so much made her feel even worse.

But as she'd stared into his eyes, she'd forgotten everything. The ending to the dance she could've sworn was ingrained into her mind had vanished. The only thing she could think clearly about, and all she had been able to see, was him.

They stayed there for a moment longer – or maybe it was more – staring at each other in silence. The dance had officially ended and the ballroom was quiet.

Somewhat subconsciously, Maria found herself committing his face to memory. His eyes were so blue. His hair showed signs of grey, but even then, he had aged remarkably well; especially considering some of the most impactful years of his life were spent at war.

She didn't know how old he was. It had never seemed appropriate or necessary to ask the children. She knew he was some years older than she was, but she did not have an exact age.

There was a thin scar on his chin, but for her that only served to make him more distinguished.

Had she ever realised just how handsome he was?

She wasn't sure about that. The only thing she knew for certain right now was that he was handsome. The most handsome man she had ever seen.

"Your face is all red."

Brigitta's voice cut through the haze in her mind. Naturally the girl would notice such a thing.

"Is it?" she breathed. Her voice felt disconnected as she brought her hands up to cover her flaming cheeks. "I don't suppose I'm used to dancing."

The Captain flashed her an almost imperceptible smile before the attention of everyone present was diverted as Baroness Schraeder waltzed out onto the courtyard.

"Why, that was beautifully done," she commented with a smile. "What a lovely couple you make."

"Yes, I think it's time the children said goodnight," the Captain suggested quickly.

"Yes," Maria agreed softly. "We'll be in the hall in a moment. We've got something very special prepared, right?"

"Right?" the children agreed, and with a chorus of cheers, followed their governess out of the courtyard and back through the maze.

* * *

He had been back in the ballroom for only a moment before Maria appeared in the doorway, announcing that the children wanted to wish everyone goodnight.

With Elsa at his side, he followed the crowd into the foyer, where the children were assembled on the stairs. After one final whispered word from their governess, they moved into their places, forming a shape reminiscent of a cuckoo clock, and started to sing.

Like the rest of the audience, Georg found himself captivated by the performance. Even if it hadn't been his children he would've been very much impressed. The fact that the performers in front of him were his own family made it even more remarkable, and the fact that this sort of thing had been so absent in his life for so long made him all the more grateful.

"Cuckoo, cuckoo."

Everyone chuckled, as, imitating the cuckoo about which they were singing, Brigitta and Marta peeked out from behind the boys and Gretl from behind Louisa. Even Bastian, popping out from behind Liesl brought a smile to Georg's face.

They formed a line and one by one stepped up to say goodbye. Just seeing them in such a line; organised by something other than age and full of something that wasn't detachment made Georg's heart swell once more.

But when Marta; his shy, sweet seven year old was the first to bid the guests farewell everything became clearer, if that were possible. She would never have been able to do that before Maria entered their lives. None of them would.

That amazing, intriguing, effervescent, beautiful would-be nun had changed his world in more ways than he could fathom.

Friedrich followed, showing everyone just how grown up he was; and then Liesl, showing how grown up she wanted to be. He'd had no prior knowledge of what the performance would contain, but he wasn't going to let her stay or drink champagne. But he also couldn't help but smirk a little as his eldest daughter ascended the stairs.

Then it was the boys' turn. As Kurt and Bastian stepped forward as one Georg felt nothing but pride and a deep sense of satisfaction.

"I leave…" Kurt began.

"…and heave…." Bastian continued.

"…a sigh and…"

"…say goodbye."

"Goodbye!"

He silently snorted, amused, as his youngest son hit a ridiculous note before turning to climb the stairs.

He was accompanied by another boy. A boy who had hair and eyes as dark as Kurt's were fair. A boy he had grown to care about as his own.

In that moment, and every moment after, there was no difference between the two of them in his mind.

Brigitta and Louisa followed them; flitting and twirling around each other before hurrying away. But not before his middle daughter signalled to his youngest, almost reassuring her.

Left alone, Gretl shuffled her way up the stairs on her bottom, singing about needing to go to bed because the sun had done so, before lying down and feigning sleep until Liesl came and carried her off.

"So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye."

As the children walked along the mezzanine towards the door to their bedrooms, all the guests turned to follow them. After the final note had been sung, everyone waved up at them in turn.

"Goodbye."

* * *

 **First off, thank you all for waiting for this. I hope you enjoyed.**  
 **This chapter takes the tiniest bit of influence from Andrew Lloyd Webber's _Love Never Dies_. Bastian was actually semi-inspired by Gustave, so I wanted to put a little bit of _LND_ in here; and there will be a little more in future chapters. **  
**Also, a shout-out to the lovely ladies who provided opinions on Maria's dress.**


	13. (XII) Revelations

Max had grabbed her hand as soon as the children disappeared. Dragging her over to the Captain he insisted that she had to stay.

"You can if you want to Fraulein," he announced briskly, before turning away to resume talking with his guests.

And before Maria knew what was happening, Max had appointed her as his dinner partner, had Franz setting a place for her and everything was arranged. She had tried to insist she wasn't dressed for the occasion – she was the governess, after all – but that had only ended with another rushed comment from her employer announcing they would wait for her to change.

* * *

Elsa watched Georg walk across the foyer to talk to the Ebberfelds. Max had followed him, and she knew that the four friends would be occupied for the moment, which was exactly what she needed.

She glanced around and, after double-checking nobody was paying her any attention, headed up the stairs; trying as she did so to keep her emotions in check.

She considered herself to be a fairly tolerant person. She had been raised to be the perfect aristocratic lady, and at this point, she knew what to expect from her life. She had married a man of good standing and had been the devoted wife and the perfect hostess society had expected of her. She counted herself lucky that she had loved Heinrich as much as she had. Not everybody in her position got that.

And, even if she didn't love Georg the way she had loved her husband, even though he came with baggage, she was ready to do it all over again.

Unfortunately, she seemed to be the only one.

Another result of her upbringing was that she was used to getting her way.

Even if it was entirely Max's fault the girl would be joining them for dinner, she knew this couldn't go on.

Georg's relationship with the governess was starting to really worry her. Dalliances among the upper-class were common, expected even. But there was something different here. Any other man would've bedded the girl by now and sent her on her way. But getting the little Fraulein into his bed seemed to be the last thing on Georg's mind.

Instead he was spending more time with the governess than he was with his guests. Nowhere was that more clear than tonight. Bored by the Laendler and having no one to talk to, she had wandered out towards the courtyard, and found Georg entwined in an intimate step with Fraulein Maria, both of them oblivious to the eight children staring on in awe.

The expression on Georg's face could be summed up in one word. Lust.

And, while she was fairly confident that his feelings were only temporary, she wasn't so sure about Maria. The poor girl was as innocent as one could be, and would surely believe her employer to be genuine.

Whatever happened, it wouldn't end well. Not if she just let it play out by itself.

But that didn't matter. Elsa had always liked challenges, and if she had to raise the stakes; fight for Georg, she would do so. The girl couldn't possibly win against her anyway.

* * *

She entered at the quiet request to come in. Maria was standing by her bed, holding the top of her dress in her hands.

"Baroness?" she looked confused and overwhelmed. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Only to help you, my dear," Elsa answered.

"Well, thank you," Maria replied. "It's very kind of you to offer to help me Baroness,"

Elsa told Maria she was delighted to help her, and was oddly relieved when the girl believed her. She was helping her, in a way. Regardless of the way Georg had been acting recently he could only want one thing from her, and once he had it, she would no longer be necessary. Alerting Maria to the situation meant she would stay away and he would be able to get past his infatuation quicker.

Everyone would benefit.

"I really don't think I do have anything that would be appropriate," Maria admitted, stepping out of her dress and laying it on her bed.

"Now where is that lovely little thing you were wearing the other evening?" Elsa asked, already moving towards the girl's closet. "When the Captain couldn't keep his eyes off you?"

"Couldn't keep his eyes off me?" Maria repeated in disbelief.

"Come my dear, we are women. Let's not pretend we don't know when a man notices us," Elsa had found that bewitching blue dress and moved towards the bed. "Here we are."

Maria didn't even look at the dress, moving over to the window, murmuring something about the Captain noticing everybody and everything.

"There's no need to feel so defensive, Maria," Elsa insisted. "You are quite attractive, you know. The captain would hardly be a man if he didn't notice you."

"Baroness, I hope you're joking," Maria pleaded softly.

"Not at all," she replied, completely sincere. If nothing else she knew for sure Georg would've noticed the girl even if he hadn't danced with her, or bought her a dress, or invited her cousin to stay at his home.

"But I've never done a thing to–"

"You don't have to, my dear," Elsa interrupted quickly. "Nothing's more irresistible to a man than a woman who's in love with him."

Maria's eyes widened. Her voice became softer with every word: "In love with him?"

"Of course," Elsa replied, as naturally as if she were giving one of her friends the time of day; not convincing a future nun that she was in love with Georg von Trapp. If she'd paused to think about it, it would've shocked her.

"And what makes it so nice is he thinks he's in love with you," she added.

"But that's not true."

"What's not true?"

Both women were startled and the conversation came to an abrupt halt when the door flew open and Bastian entered the room.

"Is everything alright?" he repeated his question.

"Uh, yes, Bastian everything's fine," Maria assured him hurriedly, though she wasn't sure how convincing she had been. Her head was reeling madly, not unlike it had after she had danced with the Captain earlier.

It was one thing to hear such words from anyone. It was quite another for her to hear them from the Captain's would-be fiancée. But that wasn't what worried her the most. As soon as the Baroness had spoken the word 'love', Maria had realised something.

She had wanted the Captain to kiss her.

When they were twirling toward the end of the dance, she had looked into his eyes, his beautiful, bright blue eyes, and wondered what it would be like to kiss him. What his lips would feel like on hers.

She'd only kissed him in her dreams before; and each time she had awoken sweating, breathless and scared, before dropping to her knees to recite at least three Hail Marys.

But tonight had been no dream. Instead she'd been forced to realise that whatever the dreams were telling her, it went further and deeper than her subconscious.

It was serious now. Everything was not alright.

"What are you doing here?" the Baroness sneered at Bastian; her voice jolting Maria back to the present moment. The boy looked shocked for a moment, but managed to keep his composure.

"I heard voices, and I came to see if my cousin was alright," he answered confidently.

"Well, she's fine. She said everything's alright, didn't she?" the Baroness snapped. "Now why don't you go to bed?"

"Baroness, there's no need for that," Maria replied, jumping quickly to defend her cousin. She forced herself to stay calm, knowing that angering the elder woman further wouldn't solve anything.

But apparently, neither did staying calm, for the Baroness turned her wrath on her.

"Maybe you should worry about Georg's children," she spat. The coldness in both her eyes and voice before was nothing compared to what it was now. "You're their governess. It's your job to keep them occupied. Oh, and on our wedding day, you must give a nice little party for them here."

"Won't they be at the wedding?" Maria asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Oh certainly not," the Baroness was almost laughing. "Just think; what a commotion."

"But-"

"They are not your children, my dear," she interrupted, turning her nose up at Maria. "And if you won't do your duty, you'll have to leave. Because I've had enough of this."

She had been courting Georg for almost a year. And finally he had started talking about marriage. Bringing her to Aigen was the next logical step in their relationship. She had expected things to be different here. She knew she would no longer have Georg's undivided attention.

But she hadn't expected to have none of it.

She'd anticipated the children would occupy him somewhat, but not like this. She wasn't happy that he would pass up tea on the terrace to play a ball game with his children. And their governess.

And her cousin.

All he seemed to be doing was favours for her. He didn't think she'd notice that he'd called his old friend Samuel Meissner. Well Max had noticed, and if he knew about it, then she did too.

He'd been trying to get a court case. And given his many long conversations with the governess, the latest of which had included the boy, it could only be about one thing.

Him.

It was one thing to spend more time with the governess because he spent more time with his children. It was quite another for him to get the law involved for something – Elsa did not know, or care for the details – to do with said governess' family member, when their time in the house had only ever been temporary.

"Ever since you came along," she shot Maria an accusatory look. "I've been losing him."

"Baroness, please–" Maria began, but Elsa cut her off.

"He threw this party for me," she was exasperated. "And where do I find him? Dancing the Laendler with you. Of all things, the Laendler!"

"I just wanted to see how to do the dance," Bastian protested.

The Baroness looked furious, as if simply hearing the boy's voice caused her aggravation. She looked back up at Maria. "And I suppose that is why you completely forgot the ending?" she scoffed. "Why you were blushing? Because it was all to show the children how to properly perform a dance of courtship?"

She had run out of breath after her little tirade, and had to pause for a moment to compose herself.

"Just remember, you are the governess," she continued, her voice far calmer, but still noticeably icy. "A staff member, the hired help. A servant. Which means you…" she pointed at Bastian "…are less than nothing."

"I am not!" Bastian screamed. "And neither is Maria."

"How dare you?" shrieked Elsa. She had finally lost her composure completely.

 _Children should be seen and not heard_. Another lesson her aristocratic status had drilled into her since before she knew what all the words meant. But now, she had to agree with it.

This boy was the living breathing representation of everything that was wrong with her life currently, everything in her perfect life falling out of place.

And, thanks to Maria, just like Georg's seven children, he was wild and loud and outspoken.

'If no one else is going to discipline the children in this house,' she thought. 'I guess it's up to me.'

And with that, she slapped Bastian hard on the cheek.

The boy's hand immediately went to his face as he let out a gasp of pain.

Maria's eyes filled with tears as she raced over and pulled her cousin into her arms. He wasn't crying. He just stood there, trembling slightly, his breathing heavy.

She tried to keep her reaction showing on her face; simply turning to address her cousin.

"Bastian, why don't you go to your room? I'll be in soon?"

The boy nodded mutely and brushed past the Baroness and out the door.

Maria opened her closet and silently began pulling out her dresses. Bastian had seemed to understand what she was really asking, and she was suddenly grateful she had eventually told him the truth about his father.

She couldn't stay here a moment longer; neither of them could. Whether she was – she could barely comprehend it – in love with Captain von Trapp did not matter anymore. This was exactly what she was trying to save her cousin from. Having him stay at the villa hadn't stopped their worst fears from literally slapping them in the face.

"Is this what you wanted?" Maria choked out. What had Bastian done to her? Why did looking after her own cousin matter to the Baroness, who clearly had no interest in looking out for or after the other children. "Well, after I've gone, you will be responsible for the children."

"Mmm-hmm, yes," she mused, distracted and bored. "And I'm sure you'll make a fine nun, Maria." The Baroness was no longer trying to hide her satisfaction.

"And when you get back to the Abbey, think of us," she added, simpering.

"I'll pray for you" Maria murmured, looking directly at the other woman.

'And I will,' she thought as the elder woman slipped out the door. She would pray that the Baroness saw the error of her ways, and grow to love the children as much as she did. Pray that she could become the mother they deserved.

* * *

Everyone was having dinner when Maria and Bastian arrived at the bottom of the stairs. Bastian was clutching his small suitcase tightly in one hand and held Maria's guitar case in the other.

Dressed in the coarse, ugly dress she had arrived in almost two months ago, she was holding her carpetbag in one hand, while the other was clenched around an envelope.

She couldn't leave just like that. Part of her wished she could take the other children with her. She didn't want the same fate to befall them. But she knew that was out of the question, and she trusted their father to keep them safe.

But Bastian was her cousin, and it was her job to keep him safe. Even if it meant doing something she knew was wrong.

"That was like a whipping, wasn't it?" Bastian asked, barely audible. The Baroness' slap hadn't hurt him too much, at least not physically; but Maria knew he was still putting on a brave face.

"Yes," she sighed, her voice equally soft.

"My father's not like that, is he?"

"No."

"Do you still want to do this?" she asked. Bastian nodded solemnly, so she quickly scurried down the stairs and placed the envelope on one of the tables by the parlour door.

Then she clutched her cousin's hand, slipped out the door and ran away from home for the second time in her life.

* * *

 **Don't worry, I've already turned in my Baroness Fan Club membership card.**

 **The dialogue between Maria and Elsa about the children not being at the wedding is also directly quoted from _The Story of the Trapp Family Singers_.**

 **And I want to apologise; not only for what happened in this chapter, but also for the fact that it might be the last regular update in a while. I have just started back at university, and my 15k project will take up most of my writing time for the next three months or so. I would like to release a chapter or two before then, but I'm not making any promises. Whatever happens, I promise I will finish this story.**


	14. (XIII) Repercussions

Georg was surprised when Elsa entered the dining room not only in time for breakfast, but before any of the children had arrived.

Any of the seven children.

"You're up early," he remarked absently.

"Oh I slept wonderfully," Elsa announced brightly. "So I thought I'd get up early for once."

Georg just nodded and returned his gaze to the newspaper, though he wasn't taking in anything. All the words turned into the words of Maria's note. It was tucked inside his jacket pocket, but he'd already memorised it:

 _Dear Captain,_

 _I'm sorry about this but I feel it's necessary for me to return to the Abbey. I've taken Bastian with me, but we'll both see you next week at court._

 _Please say goodbye to the children for me, and please look after them._

 _I will miss you,_

 _Maria_

He couldn't fault her for leaving with her cousin, and she seemed to have her reasons for leaving, so he couldn't really even fault that. He just wished he understood what it was.

He was glad that they were still on for the court. He hadn't thought Maria would disregard it, but at the same time, the fact that she hadn't only left him more confused. Either he had nothing to do with why she left, or he did and she was pushing it aside for the sake of her cousin.

Georg wasn't sure which option he preferred.

"Georg," Elsa's voice dragged him back to the room.

"Mmm-hmm?"

"I thought we should talk about the children," she continued.

Georg felt pleasantly surprised at her words. Whatever the reason behind Maria's departure, with her gone, it was time to start looking forward; focusing on the future he had planned since the year before. He considered himself lucky that Elsa wanted to talk about the children.

"And what will happen after we're married."

Georg paused. "What do you mean 'what will happen'?" he asked cautiously. He knew it had been too good to be true, but he didn't want to get Elsa upset at the breakfast table.

"Well, I think boarding school is a good idea."

"No."

"No?" Elsa blinked. "But Georg, Sacré Couer is perfect for the girls, and there's a lovely Jesuit College in Kalksburg that will be just right for Friedrich and Kurt."

Elsa felt proud of herself for remembering the boys' names. She wished she could remember the girls – they would be the ones she'd be helping along into society eventually – but there were five of them! With only two of them, Georg's sons were far easier to keep track of.

"I do not intend to part with the children, Elsa," Georg's tone was final.

"Part with them? I didn't mean-"

"I want to have them nearby," he continued firmly. If he had been open to boarding school, he'd have sent them all off years ago. It certainly would've been easier than the long line of governesses he'd employed. "If they come to me, asking to go to boarding school, that is a different matter. But I do not intend to send them there on my own."

"But Georg, they're so wild," she was nearly whining now. "We need to do _something_ about them. They're hardly acting as befits the children of a Baron."

She exhaled before continuing: "Well, if you're not going to agree to boarding school, we will at least have to get a governess."

"Elsa," Georg replied evenly. Did it not occur to her that once they were married, it would be her job to do all this? "Did you realise that by marrying me, you're becoming their mother?"

"Stepmother," Elsa clarified. She never wanted anyone to call her 'Mother' in her life. "They'll call me Tante Elsa, and of course I'll help them. Liesl will have her debut in a year or so. I just didn't think they'd be acting like this. When you talked about them in Vienna, they sounded so well behaved."

Georg was spared from having to answer by seven pairs of feet making their way into the room. Elsa let out a groan.

It was almost like they'd stepped back in time, to the days before Maria had arrived. With slow, composed movements, they weren't miserable, but even without being told directly, they all knew something had happened with their Fraulein, and couldn't hide it.

A chorus of 'Good morning Father's and 'Good morning Baroness's rang out as the children took their places at the table.

"Father?" Marta asked softly once everyone had been seated and 'grace' had been said. "Frau Schmidt had to wake me up this morning. Where's Fraulein Maria?"

Georg inhaled slowly. Now it was time to face the music.

"Fraulein Maria went back to the Abbey last night," he announced shortly; the words met immediately with seven different cries spoken almost in unison as everyone abandoned their untouched meals.

"Why?"

"How do you know?"

"Did you go after her?"

"Are you going to go after her?"

"She didn't even say goodbye."

"Is she coming back?"

"She took Bastian with her, didn't she?"

Liesl hadn't phrased it as a question.

"Yes," Georg nodded at his eldest daughter. "And no, darling; I don't think so," he added, addressing Gretl's query. He felt bad that he would be able to see her next week, while the children wouldn't.

"Thank goodness," Elsa exhaled loudly. "That boy needed to keep his mouth shut."

"What do you mean, Baroness?" asked Brigitta.

"I was talking with Maria last night and he barged in, and would not stop talking."

"You were doing what last night?" Georg asked at the same time as Kurt inquired: "So you left?"

"So I slapped him."

"ELSA, WHAT THE-" Georg barely managed to stop himself from cursing in front of his children. All their faces looked shocked too. Even the little ones seemed to realise what had happened.

"I need to speak with you," Georg looked straight at Elsa. His voice was cold as he rose from his chair. "NOW."

Seven pairs of eyes watched as Elsa followed suit and moved to stand over by the door.

"Get started on your breakfast!" Georg snapped at the children before stalking out of the room.

* * *

"Elsa, what the devil were you thinking?" he exploded the second his study door was closed.

"Oh come on Georg," she scoffed. "It's not like he's your son."

"His father – Maria's uncle – beat her. Do you have any idea what slapping him could have done?"

Now it all made sense. Why Maria would run away in the middle of the night because it was 'necessary'. Why her note would specifically ask him to look after the children.

"It's called discipline," Elsa insisted. "Something you seem to have given up on."

"When all he was doing was talking?" Georg asked. "Elsa, that is not discipline. What were you doing in Maria's room last night anyway?"

"Oh, it's Maria now?" she huffed. "Tell me Georg, do you actually see that little nun as the governess of your children? Or their mother?"

He was seeing red. While Elsa was right in a way about discipline, if her idea of reprimanding was slapping a child whenever she found them aggravating – for just being a child – then things weren't going to work. It was only a matter of time before one of his own children would be in the same situation as Bastian.

As for Maria, yes he did see her as the mother his children had never had. She had opened their lives to happiness, his mind to new possibilities and most amazingly and frighteningly of all, his heart to feelings he'd long since given up on. Feeling's he'd never felt for Elsa.

But none of that mattered. Because Elsa's actions had nothing to do with her, and everything to do with the children.

"I want you out of my house today," Georg stated.

Elsa gasped.

"I don't want that sort of behaviour anywhere near my children."

"Georg I – "

"They're not wild Elsa; they're children," he said. "And with the world the way it is right now, I want them to be children as long as they can."

"Fine," Elsa replied bitterly. Georg knew she was trying to keep herself together until she could be alone. "But don't pretend the little governess doesn't have more to do with this than you let on."

She doesn't," Georg said confidently, not missing a beat. "If you had slapped one of my children simply because they annoyed you, I would be seriously concerned about whether you should be their mother."

"So you don't love her?"

Georg paused. "It-it doesn't matter," he spat after a moment. One of the major reasons he'd planned this marriage to Elsa was to give the children a new mother. But now he'd realised he'd rather they had no mother than a mother like Elsa. He'd hired all those governesses not because he needed someone to be mother, but because he couldn't bear to be their father.

But he would be father to his children – all seven of them – until the day he died. They could survive without governesses, if he was there. And he wouldn't let anyone hurt them again if he could help it.

* * *

Maria had forgotten how painful headaches could be. She'd had many of them when she first arrived at the Abbey. Making the transition from mountains to a cloistered convent immediately did not come without consequences.

That may have been why she escaped to the mountains in the first place, and over time it had developed into something more. But now she was stuck in her room with a migraine that could rival the Baroness'.

Still, it might be a blessing in disguise. Now that she had returned to the Abbey and Bastian was safe, the headache was preventing her from thinking too hard about the other thing the Baroness had mentioned last night.

 _Nothing's more irresistible to a man than a woman who's in love with him. And what makes it so nice is he thinks he's in love with you._

Had it really been less than twenty-four hours ago that she had been dancing in the arms of Captain von Trapp at his grand and glorious party, like Cinderella at the ball? It seemed like another lifetime ago. She had been a different person then.

Which was saying a lot, because she had changed so much since the beginning of the summer. The girl who had left the Abbey in a second-hand dress trembling with fear no longer existed.

 _Nothing's more irresistible to a man than a woman who's in love with him. And what makes it so nice is he thinks he's in love with you._

How could the Baroness know how she felt about the Captain when Maria herself didn't even know? He was a wonderful man; just as the Reverend Mother had said, fine and brave. He was gentle and kind and more patriotic than anyone else she'd met.

She could wholeheartedly say that Captain Georg von Trapp was someone she considered a friend.

But Maria had never been in love before. She hadn't really even had a crush. She'd only known it in books, and it usually ended in murder and blood. Even when it came to the Captain, that ending wasn't far from the truth.

But books didn't come close to reality. She couldn't say that what she felt for the Captain – for she did feel something – was love, or even close to it using the few romantic novels as a guide.

And reality wasn't a help either. Since she was seventeen, she had planned to be a nun. And since the year before, he had planned to marry the Baroness.

And if that was going to change it wouldn't be because of the Captain. It would be because she needed to care for her cousin. After all, it wasn't like a distinguished, handsome decorated Baron could ever love a poor mountain girl like her.

"Ugghhh" she moaned as her head throbbed, before giving up trying to think, closing her eyes, and succumbing to sleep.

* * *

Georg didn't really consider what visiting the Abbey could mean until he was already there. And by then it was too late.

Elsa had arrived in the foyer an hour after breakfast, all packed and ready to leave. Georg supposed it was a testament to how bad the situation was that it only took that long. He did feel bad about the result; he knew he wasn't blameless in this. It shouldn't have taken his prospective fiancée slapping a child for him to know this was the end. But he shouldn't have led Elsa on for as long as he had; after things had started to change.

She had declined his offer to drop her at the railway station and gotten Franz to do it instead. And as soon as the butler had returned, Georg had jumped in the car and drove into town himself.

And now here he was, at the front gate of Nonnberg Abbey, an elderly nun making her way towards him.

He didn't have any idea of what he would say to Maria. _'Would you please come back? Elsa's gone; I won't have her acting that way around the children. Also, I'm falling in love with you.'_

He could just imagine how well that would go. Putting aside Elsa and Bastian and the children and everything else, Maria was still going to be a nun.

But he had to see her. He had to try.

"Can I help you?" the nun asked.

"Um yes," he stammered. He was suddenly grateful Maria was anything but the straight-backed no-nonsense Sister he'd expected initially. It appeared they did intimidate him. "I'm Captain von Trapp. I was wondering if I could speak to Maria."

The nun regarded him for a very long moment. Georg was just about to speak; to defend himself against any allegations that she might have when she spoke.

"Maria is in seclusion," she answered simply. "She has asked not to be disturbed."

"I really can't see her?" he pleaded, desperate. "Do you know when she'll be out? Can you give her a messa-"

"Captain?"

Georg looked up to see Bastian standing over by the corridor.

"What are you doing here?" he continued.

"He came to see Maria," the nun answered. Then noticing the way her companions were eyeing each other, she added: "Sebastian, why don't you and Captain von Trapp go and talk over there."

Bastian nodded mutely

"Are you alright?" Georg asked when they sat down in a small garden area. "I heard the Baroness slapped you."

"I'm alright," Bastian answered. "It was more shock than anything else."

"Well, she's on her way back to Vienna now," Georg was glad Bastian bore no noticeable trace of Elsa's actions. And voicing the words, he felt assured that it was real; that he'd done the right thing. "I won't tolerate such actions in my home. Maria did the right thing bringing you here."

Bastian sighed, looking off into the distance, as though Maria would appear on the other side of the garden; though they both knew that wasn't going to happen.

"Do you know why she's in seclusion?" Georg continued. He didn't see why ushering her cousin to safety would cause Maria to go into voluntary isolation.

Bastian shook his head. "She didn't say. But…." he paused, working up the courage needed to say what came next "….the Baroness did tell her that you were in love with her."

"Do you know exactly what she said?" Georg asked. The news shocked him, and at the same time it didn't. Even he knew how obvious his interactions with the governess had been. Especially last night. Elsa had admitted to visiting Maria in her room during the party.

And given her other actions, he wouldn't put it past her to say something truly horrible.

"No," Bastian responded. "I think I interrupted them. Maria just told me that's what they'd been talking about later."

It was clear that Elsa had tried to scare her. And Bastian upset her plan and she lashed out. As more things fell into place, Georg realised just how closely he'd avoided an unmitigated disaster.

"Do you?" the boy ventured, breaking his reverie.

"Love her?"

Bastian nodded.

Georg exhaled slowly. This was not something that had just happened. And yet it was. He had been dreaming about her for weeks, and nothing had been the same since the night of the puppet show; but it had been last night, as they danced the Laendler that the truth had hit him with full force. He loved her. He was in love with her. He wanted to shout it to the world; tell anyone who would listen that he was in love with Maria Rainer.

"Yes," he answered solemnly. "I do."

He couldn't lie. He didn't know how the boy would feel about this, but he loved Maria with all his heart, he loved her cousin like a son, and he couldn't lie.

Bastian threw himself into his arms. And all too soon, Georg was hugging the boy back.

Then another thought came to him. Could that be why she would miss him? Did she love him back? He didn't dare dream it. She was kind, beautiful, selfless and twenty-plus years his junior. Even if she had not been a postulant, what could he give her that every other bachelor dandy out there couldn't?

But her actions since the puppet show told him she felt something for him. Maria wasn't one to play favourites, or be insincere in any way. He'd never seen her treat anyone else differently. Was he seeing what wanted to see in her angelic, innocent kindness? Or was there actually something there?

It would explain why she was in seclusion. Why else would she distance herself from her cousin; from the very reason she had fled back to the Abbey in the first place?

"I think she needs our help too," Bastian murmured.

Georg pulled himself slightly away from the boy and nodded.

'I will do whatever I can to help,' he vowed silently. 'Both of them.'

* * *

 **Yes I'm back. It's so nice to write something that doesn't require a bibliography, and just to be back in this story again, so I hope you enjoyed. The schools Elsa mentions are taken from Maria's memoir and there are lines in here taken from _The Trapp Family Story_ anime (episode 26) and _Die Trapp Familie_. Both are on Youtube if you feel like watching, and I thought the lines worked really well so...  
**

 **Thank you all so much for your patience and continued support. There will be more of Maria in the next chapter.**


	15. (XIV) Face Life

"Ave."

The Reverend Mother of Nonnberg was both surprised and pleased when Sister Margaretta entered and announced Maria wanted to see her.

Maria had seemed very distressed when she'd arrived in the middle of the night three days ago, and the Abbess hadn't had a chance to speak with her the following day before she'd requested seclusion.

It was clear the girl needed her space, and time to think, and the Abbess wanted to wait until Maria wanted to come to her. She was glad it had only taken a couple of days. If she'd stayed isolated for much longer, she would've requested to see Maria, whether or not she was ready to talk.

Maria entered, her head bowed and her steps slow and sure. The Abbess had never seen Maria like this, and at the same time, she knew that she hadn't been completely broken by whatever had happened to make her return.

More than anything else, she looked nervous.

But not in the same way as she had when she'd been told she was to go to the von Trapps for the summer. It was almost as if she was hiding something.

She kissed the Abbess' ring slowly, before taking a seat in the chair opposite the desk.

"Are you feeling better, my child?"

"Yes, Mother," her answer was confident, but her voice was soft.

"I'm glad," she replied. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

Maria nodded very slowly, almost bracing herself for what she was about to say. And when she did speak, her eyes were closed; as if in self-defence, and her voice was so soft that the Abbess only just made out the words:

"I've decided to leave the Abbey."

"Oh?"

"I think God brought Bastian into my life when He did because he is supposed to be part of my life. But I can't look out for him here."

Maria had told the nuns about her cousin during the few visits she had made to the Abbey during her time with the von Trapps. Once Maria had explained the situation, everyone agreed that she had made the right decision regarding the boy; which had been more or less repeated when they both arrived at the Abbey during the night earlier that week.

The Abbess still didn't know why Maria had returned early, but it wasn't a surprise the boy had returned too. She knew that Maria loved her cousin dearly. Given how young she'd been when her parents had died, she had been searching for a family and a sense of belonging all her life; even if she didn't realise it. And on top of her generosity and selfless nature, the boy was her family by blood, something of which she'd had so little. Was it any wonder she would want to do anything she could to keep him in her life?

"My uncle – his father – is unfit to be a parent," Maria continued. Her voice was still quiet, but she knew exactly what she was doing. "But Bastian has no one else. Except me."

Maria had never revealed anything about her uncle to anyone at Nonnberg. The Abbess knew that she had lived with him after being orphaned, but hadn't heard anything more.

"If I don't look after Bastian myself, he will end up with his father," she explained. "And I can't let that happen."

Yes, Maria was definitely confident in her decision; but the Abbess noticed she wasn't meeting her eyes; staring off at nothing in particular rather than the other person in the room.

Wordlessly, the nun reached out and touched her shoulder. She visibly relaxed, looking directly at her for the first time since she'd brought up her decision to leave.

"I'm proud of you my child," she replied with a smile.

She hadn't sent Maria to the von Trapps just because she liked children. True, she was very good with them, but there were plenty of people like that all over Salzburg. If Captain von Trapp was having difficulty keeping a governess, that wasn't Nonnberg's problem.

The main reason she'd sent Maria was because Maria needed it. She had all the faith required for a nun, but her personality was lacking; more suited to a life outside the convent's walls. But Maria, stubborn and naïve as she was, wouldn't seek out such a life on her own.

She was pleased and proud to see Maria not only accepting the situation, but taking control. The girl had been so scared to leave the Abbey, even temporarily. Willingly deciding to leave – that she needed to leave – showed just how far she had come since the beginning of the summer.

"Thank you Mother," Maria answered. "But there's more. I don't know what to do next."

The Abbess smiled, already nodding to the question Maria hadn't even asked:

"Will you help me?"

* * *

The knock on his study door came as a welcome distraction for Georg. He couldn't focus on anything right now; hadn't been able to for the last three days. He wasn't even sure he could give his attention to whoever it was on the other side of the door; but it was better than sitting here making no progress on the bank statements in front of him.

"Come in," he called, and the door opened to reveal his third daughter. She smiled at him, but did not make any move to enter the room.

"Ah, how's my little bookworm?" he asked. Brigitta was regularly coming into his study to find a book to read; she seemed to read at least three in the same amount of time it took his other children to read one. He certainly hadn't been such a fast reader when he was ten.

"I'm not letting you read _Persuasion_ yet," he warned good-naturedly.

Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, even George Eliot; it hadn't been too long since Brigitta had asked to read such books. Georg had staunchly refused.

He wasn't thrilled with the idea of any of his daughters reading these so-called 'romances' at all, but he knew he couldn't shelter them from it forever – another lesson Maria had taught him – and had decided that they were allowed to read these kinds of novels once they turned twelve.

After he'd approved them, of course.

It had been the same for Liesl and Louisa, though the latter was about as interested in reading the novels as he was. Georg was secretly very relieved about that.

But his middle daughter wasn't holding a book at the moment.

"You're not here about a book, are you?" he stated more than queried.

Brigitta shook her head.

"It's about Fraulein Maria." If it wasn't about a book, it had to be about the governess.

She nodded.

Georg cocked his head, and the ten year old scampered into the room and sat down on the large leather sofa opposite his desk. He turned his chair around to face her, but before he could say anything, she spoke:

"Are you in love with her?"

Georg felt like he was having déjà-vu. It had only been two days since he'd been at the Abbey and Bastian – in so many way's Brigitta's other half; her unbiological brother – had asked him the same question.

But Bastian had overheard Elsa talking to Maria. And if Georg was sure of one thing in all this madness, it was that his children hadn't been part of any of it, thank goodness.

"How did you-?"

"The other night," Brigitta explained, as if it should already be obvious. "When we were all sitting on the floor, and you were singing the Edelweiss song. You stopped singing to look at her. And when you speak to her, the way your voice sounds…" she trailed off; seemingly as lost in happy memories of her governess as Georg was.

Maria had done so very much for them. If his other children got half as starry-eyed as Brigitta did when thinking about her, then they loved her as much as he did.

"And why else would you ask her to dance?" concluded Brigitta, bringing Georg back to reality.

 _She notices everything._

The words Maria had hurled at him as she stood, dripping wet on his staircase; before either of them knew she had a cousin, before things had gotten out of hand, came to his mind now.

"So is that a yes?" Brigitta asked eagerly. "Do you love her?"

Georg nodded sincerely. A grin lit up his daughter's face, but it was hesitant. She knew that this was good news, but she also knew things were complicated.

"Now that the Baroness is gone…" she ventured. "…do you think she and Bastian could come back?"

"I don't know," he replied sadly. He couldn't speak for Maria. It was clear she'd left when she did because of Elsa, but even without that, she was never meant to stay forever. September wasn't that far away, and when it arrived, she was due back at the Abbey.

Still, the fact that Brigitta had mentioned Bastian caught Georg's attention.

Even if Maria didn't return his love – he for one couldn't see what such a kind-hearted, spirited, beautiful young woman would want in a middle-aged grump like him – or ever come back, he was due to see her next week in Vienna at court.

In that respect he was lucky. The children had been rather disheartened since she and Bastian had fled; they hadn't sung at all, and any activity that hadn't already made them restless was short-lived. Even Elsa's departure hadn't been enough to disguise the fact that two members of the family were missing.

There really was no other way to put it. Maria had embedded herself into their lives and their hearts, and in doing so, had gained a place in their family.

As had her cousin.

And then he knew for sure. It was time to stop cowering, stop hiding, stop burying his head in the sand like an ostrich, and take action.

It was time to face life.

He lifted his head and looked Brigitta straight in the eye.

"But maybe we can do something about it."

She grinned.

* * *

Maria returned to the postulants' dormitory for what she knew would be the last time. She was very glad it was completely empty.

The hardest part of leaving the Abbey hadn't been giving up on her lifelong dream to be a nun. For reasons she could barely admit – even to herself – and wanted to think about even less, that had been the easy part.

No, it had been telling the Reverend Mother; the only maternal figure Maria could remember having, and one of the few people left in her life. She had realised that this was something she had to do, with or without the Abbess' approval; but she didn't know if she could cope with disappointing her.

Thankfully, disappointment hadn't even crossed the elderly nun's mind, and after that everything had become much easier.

After her headaches had subsided, Maria had done some serious thinking. She had promised –both to herself and her cousin – that she would do whatever it took to keep Bastian safe and provided for. It didn't take too long for her to realise that she couldn't keep both the Abbey and Bastian in her life.

It had been an easy decision to make, but carrying it out would be much harder.

If she hadn't already known she would be on her own initially, she knew when Bastian had told her he didn't want to live with his father when they'd spoken that morning after breakfast.

But if she was going to be Bastian's primary guardian, she would need a place of her own, and a job. The court wasn't going to let Bastian live in a convent, even if his cousin was there. And, as Maria had said from the very beginning, he deserved so much more.

The Reverend Mother had assured them she would a place for them to live, as well as promising to pull some strings to get Maria a job. Nothing had been finalised as yet, so Maria didn't know what it would entail, but she didn't mind; all it needed to do give her a wage and put a roof over her and her cousin's heads.

"All for Bastian," she reminded herself.

But her mind betrayed her. Because, with all the thinking she'd done, she had also been forced to face all the thoughts she'd been trying to avoid since leaving the von Trapp villa.

She looked around the dormitory and sighed. Her bed was at the very end of the room, and she had barely left her area for the three days she and Bastian had been back at the Abbey. Before the summer, it had been a comfort; the one place that was truly hers in a world where worldly possessions had no place.

Looking at it now though, it felt empty and lifeless. Maria had never been the type of person to care about material goods, but this no longer felt like her room.

Her room was right next to her cousin's and near the rooms of seven other beautiful children.

And their father.

Try as she might, she couldn't deny the truth. The von Trapp villa was her home, and she was in love with the Captain. Her experience with romance had not grown since yesterday, but she couldn't put any other name to her feelings for him.

And now that she was leaving, it didn't seem so scary.

They could never be together. For better or worse, he had the Baroness; why on Earth would he want her? She knew she would never be able to act on her feelings.

But it felt like a weight off her shoulders to acknowledge them.

She retrieved her carpet bag from where it sat over in the corner. She had unpacked it the morning after they'd arrived, just to give herself something to do, but now that she was leaving again, it would need to be re-packed.

It didn't take long, and when she'd finished she stood up and surveyed the space one last time.

It seemed even emptier than it did before, even though it looked exactly the same as when she'd walked in. The Abbey didn't allow mirrors, but Maria could see her reflection in the glass of the window.

She was skinny and pale, and there were circles under her eyes. She had barely eaten anything since she left the villa, and she hadn't slept well.

But more than looking drained of life, the girl in the window looked like an outsider. This no longer felt like her room because it belonged to the Maria who had walked out of the front gates at the beginning of June; nervous and unsure.

That Maria no longer existed.

She watched as the girl reflected in the window reached up, slowly pulled the wimple off her head and let it fall to the floor.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed, and all have a wonderful new year!**


	16. (XV) Thoughts and the Court

"What do you want to do now?" Maria asked, setting down her knife and fork.

They had arrived in Vienna just after noon. Maria insisted they check into their hotel before they did anything else, but after that was all finished, she took Bastian out to lunch at a nearby restaurant.

All in all, Maria had spent quite a bit more money on this trip than she would have under different circumstances. But she didn't mind at all. She had the means to do it at least once, and since leaving the Abbey, had been emboldened with a newfound sense of freedom.

Her cousin took one final bite of his pork knuckle and considered the question.

"A park or something, I think," he announced a moment later. "Cities don't interest me that much."

Maria smiled. While she had lived on the outskirts of Vienna when her parents were alive, most of her memories were of Salzburg. And she had no trouble believing Bastian, who had grown up in Tyrol, would enjoy the mountains and lakes of the countryside far more than the bustling city that was Austria's capital.

They had taken the train up from Salzburg that morning and would return after the court case was complete. Bastian had been delighted when Maria revealed she had in fact been born on a train.

"Alright," she nodded. "I'll go pay the bill and meet you out front?"

* * *

The next morning both cousins woke early. Despite everything that they'd done yesterday, the anticipation of what would happen today – how it would affect the rest of both of their lives – had meant neither Maria nor Bastian slept very well.

After sitting for a while in the _Stadtpark_ , they had passed by the State Teachers' College for Progressive Education, where Maria had gone to university, and then Maria had bought them each an ice cream before they returned to the hotel.

She wanted to make sure Bastian enjoyed his time in Vienna. He deserved that so very much. Especially if this was all they got.

The odds were in her favour; they had to be. But that still wasn't a guarantee. Unexpected things could happen. Not simply in a court of law, but in life.

Your parents could die before you turned ten years old. You could be left in the care of a guardian who – at best – ignored you. You could be unsuited for the one life you wanted so badly. The one you loved mightn't love you back…

Maria froze as her mind focused on one small, but significant detail that she had not previously thought about since arriving in Vienna.

 _I will see him again today._

She didn't know why it hadn't entered her head before; she'd mentioned it in the note she wrote for him. They wouldn't be here without him.

She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of these thoughts. She shouldn't be thinking about him; she was here for her cousin. Yes, they would see each other again today. But after this case was over they would go their separate ways and never see each other again.

She finished dressing in a blue-green travelling dress, courtesy of the Abbey's newest postulant. She was very pleased when Sister Margaretta came in to her room one day with this dress. She'd left everything else back at the von Trapp villa, and only had her original dress to choose from.

She had made a few alterations to that dress; shortening the sleeves and lowering the neckline, but it was still nothing special. With her new job Maria was planning on adding to her wardrobe at least a little. Now that she was no longer at the Abbey she would need it.

Bastian was wearing the suit he had worn the night of the party; the one _he_ had bought for him. He really hadn't had to do that - The Baroness had thought it was unnecessary – but he was insistent. It might be a little too much for the court, but Bastian had been adamant he look his best and everything else he had didn't feel quite appropriate.

"Ready?" she asked him.

Bastian gulped and nodded.

* * *

Georg was nervous, and he didn't know why.

Well he knew why; it was because he would be seeing her again today. Maria. But he didn't know why that was bothering him.

It wasn't because she'd run away. From what he'd heard from both Elsa and Bastian he knew exactly why she'd fled; and he couldn't begrudge her that even if he wanted to. Most reassuringly of all, he knew that he had little – if anything – to do with her abrupt departure.

According to Bastian, on the night of the party, Elsa had told Maria that he was in love with her. While Georg knew in his heart that was undoubtedly true, the boy hadn't said anything about how his cousin had felt.

He would be seeing her for the first time since he had admitted he loved her. And he had no idea how she felt, or what was happening in her life right now; and therefore any chance of a future with her – small as it was – was out of his hands.

So maybe he did know why he was nervous.

It had been a lot harder than he'd expected implementing the plan he'd come up with. He'd had no issues with bringing the children along to Vienna, but securing a place to stay that accommodated an additional eight people meant he'd had to switch hotels at the last minute. Of course once Max had heard the plan, he had practically begged to come along too.

Seeing as he and Maria were meeting up anyway for the court case, he figured it was a good idea to at least talk to her. Even if he all but knew why she left in the middle of the night, he wanted to hear her say it. If it really was all because of Elsa, then she shouldn't have any problem telling him.

And, as madly in love with her as he was, he would respect any decision she made. He knew he would find a way to be happy if she was happy.

Likewise, if after these next couple of days their time together ended, the children should be able to see her one last time. He couldn't imagine that she wouldn't want to see them, and they definitely deserved as much.

* * *

On the other side of the room, he could see a boy with dark hair, about eleven years of age, dressed in a formal trachten jacket with short pants. He was talking to a young woman dressed in a pretty turquoise dress.

Georg had to do a double take. He knew it was them; it had to be, and at the same time, it didn't seem possible. Yet that was definitely Bastian, wearing the suit Georg had bought him for the party. He wouldn't be talking to anyone else. And the short crop of strawberry-blonde hair meant it was unmistakeably her.

He hadn't really thought she would wear her habit to court. After all, she hadn't been wearing it when he found her snooping in his ballroom the day they met. But he also hadn't expected to her to be wearing such a mature outfit.

For the first time, she looked like a woman.

Not that he'd ever thought of her as a girl. Well, maybe on their first meeting; but only because he hadn't expected someone so young; she was coming from the convent after all.

But that was the only time, and by the time she'd shouted at him by the lakeside; dripping wet, it had been plain that she was very much a woman, and he hadn't been able to deny it since.

He'd noticed it when they'd danced, and Heaven knew he'd been dreaming about it enough since the night of the puppet show.

More often than not in his dreams she wasn't wearing anything, but in real life she had always dressed so simply. Not that she wasn't beautiful, but her clothes had always aligned with her charges. Obviously, he'd never expected (or wanted, he thought privately) her to look like Elsa, but the dresses she wore had always made her look like she was one of the children, rather than the person who looked after them. After all, he couldn't remember any of the previous eleven governesses wearing anything even remotely similar.

No, she was very much a woman.

And he loved her.

* * *

Maria looked up and saw him walking towards her, looking utterly handsome, Herr Meissner at his side.

"Hello Fraulein," said the latter as _he_ greeted Bastian.

"Hello Herr Meissner," she smiled. "Captain."

She had thought seeing him again would hurt. Knowing that, even though she'd given up on the Abbey, he would never be a part of her future; she thought it would be in some way painful, but it wasn't. She wouldn't say she was happy; but seeing him again, knowing she was in love with him – and always would be – was like seeing a long-lost friend.

She supposed that was the best she could hope for. He was a Baron, so he would marry the Baroness. But he was here for her today – her and Bastian – which must mean that despite the differences between them, they were at least friendly-like.

Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, he smiled at her; that tantalising half-smile that left her breathless, before he murmured a greeting.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She tried to smile back, but her voice was soft as she replied: "As I'll ever be."

* * *

Maria froze as they took their seats in the courtroom.

The thought that had paralysed her brain earlier – also leaving her momentarily frozen – could apply to her uncle just as much as it could apply to Captain von Trapp. But where seeing the Captain had been far easier than she'd thought initially, seeing her uncle was nothing but anxiety and pain.

Unlike everyone else, Hans Kutschera hadn't dressed up for the occasion. In fact, Maria couldn't tell if there was a difference between the man standing before her today and the man she'd ran away from home to avoid five years ago.

His hair was still as grizzled as before, his face looked just as lined, and she wouldn't have been surprised if that was the same pair of lederhosen as before.

She was a little surprised he'd made it all the way to Vienna today. She didn't honestly know whether the fact that he had made things better or worse. But before she could think too much about it, the judge banged his gavel to call the court into session.

"We are here to discuss the guardianship of Sebastian Dreschner."

"Kutschera," grunted her uncle.

"I'm sorry sir?"

"He's my son," he repeated. "His name is Kutschera."

"Sebastian Dreschner," the judge continued, emphasising Bastian's surname. "Hans Kutschera versus Captain Georg von Trapp and Maria Rainer, represented by Samuel Meissner."

"Being the boy's father, you have a slight advantage," he gestured to Maria's uncle. "However we are here because of actions taken by the Captain and Fraulein Rainer. Herr Meissner, would you please present your case."

"Yes, Your Honour," the lawyer stood and Maria watched as he began to question her uncle.

"According to The Orphanage St. Hedwig," Herr Meissner began. "When Bastian arrived there after the death of his mother, the first thing they did was attempt to contact you. Did you not get the letter from St. Hedwig's?"

"Burnt it," he grumbled. "Must've. If I don't know who the letter is from, I don't bother with it."

"So, you admit you never looked at the letter."

"Yes," he slurred with a nod.

"Fraulein Rainer had to be contacted because you didn't respond," Herr Meissner explained. "She went down and collected Bastian from Innsbruck and brought him back to her then-residence, the von Trapp villa."

Maria listened as Herr Meissner laid out the arguments they had been over that day that seemed like a lifetime ago; listing all the reasons why her uncle should not have custody of Bastian.

"Children need discipline," was his argument when Herr Meissner brought up all the times he had abused Maria.

She confirmed or elaborated on things where necessary, but thankfully that wasn't often. Her uncle didn't try to hide what had happened all those years ago. And, Maria realised, he hadn't done that when she was living with him.

She had been the one who had hidden the bruises and invented the stories to explain all her broken bones. Her uncle hadn't exactly broadcast that he mistreated his niece – he didn't see it as abuse anyway – and he certainly wasn't fit to be a parent, but he wasn't a liar.

* * *

Georg felt both relieved and sickened as he watched Samuel Meissner question Hans Kutschera.

He had thought he had been a bad parent in the years since Agathe died. And he knew that he hadn't exactly been _good_ , but next to this man, he felt like his long absences and detached attitude were the purest example of love one could give.

For one thing, Hans Kutschera was clearly disinterested in the whole event and didn't want to be here, but was still adamant that he should become Bastian's guardian.

Naturally, Georg understood why a parent would believe they deserved custody of their child and, in most circumstances, had to agree. But not this time. Despite being Bastian's father, Hans Kutschera didn't know the boy existed until he and Maria had begun to explore the possibilities of a court case. He had openly admitted he paid no attention to the correspondence from the orphanage. Had this case not come about, he still wouldn't know about his child.

And then there was Maria. While his actions today bewildered Georg, his actions in the past made him want to be sick. It wasn't just that he'd hurt Maria; Georg had heard those stories before, unfortunately. It was that he didn't seem to care about his actions, chalking it up to 'discipline'.

Georg liked to think he knew quite a lot about discipline. It had been drilled into him in his Navy days, and after Agathe had died, it was what he'd reverted back to. For a long, long time, the first rule of the house was discipline.

Hans Kutschera knew nothing about discipline. His behaviour today made it quite clear that he would treat his son exactly as he'd treated his niece should he win custody.

* * *

The judge was silent for a long time. Maria didn't know what to think, but as the court was still in session, she couldn't ask the Captain or Herr Meissner what this meant.

Finally, when she thought she might go crazy if something – anything – didn't happen soon, the judge spoke.

"Fraulein Rainer," his gaze was now fixed on her, where she sat between Herr Meissner and the Captain. "You are Sebastian's cousin. Was it your intention that, if not with his father, Sebastian would live with you?"

"Yes Your Honour," Maria replied.

"You have a suitable house for the boy, as well as a means of income?"

"Yes, Your Honour," she nodded. "Come September I will be working as a teacher's assistant at the local school in Salzburg, and I have enough money to cover everything until then."

Maria started to get excited. Not only because this was her first opportunity to mention the job the Reverend Mother had helped her acquire – which even though she hadn't officially started she felt very proud of – but because the judge was asking her all these questions. Having already heard the multitude of reasons why her uncle was unsuited to care for his son, surely he wouldn't be doing this if he didn't intend to grant her custody.

"But you're not married, are you?"

"No Your Honour," Maria said softly, willing her voice not to shake. 'And I never will be,' she added silently to herself.

"Herr Kutschera," the judge asked, his attention immediately turning from Maria to her uncle. "Are you married?"

"No."

"Have you ever been married?"

"No, Your Honour,"

The judge sighed.

"Well, this does raise an issue," he mused. "For I do not believe Sebastian should grow up in a single parent household."

* * *

 **I'm back. I'm so sorry this took so long to get out, but in addition to writer's block and anxiety, I started this year off with a reread of the _Harry Potter_ series; and while that was happening I could focus on TSOM in the way the story deserved. Nevertheless, I want to thank you all very much for your patience, as well as continued interest in this story.  
**

 **I'm no expert on law, which is why this chapter is a little vague in places, and I don't know if such an event would take place in Vienna (rather than Salzburg), but given events in the next few chapters, I wanted them to not be at home.**

 **Hope you enjoyed. Thanks again.**


	17. (XVI) Once Upon Another Time

Maria's heart sunk. _I do not believe Sebastian should grow up in a single parent household._

There was no chance of her looking after him.

'That puts his father out of the running,' a voice inside her head said.

But as good as that news was, Maria found it to be little consolation knowing her cousin was going to wind up back at the orphanage in Innsbruck.

Beside her she heard the Captain sigh. Then a thought struck her. Could he live with the von Trapps? He'd spent time at the villa already and loved the family as much as she did. And he'd have both of the parental figures the judge required once the Captain married the Baroness.

The Baroness.

The reason they weren't still living at the von Trapp villa. While Maria trusted that the Captain wouldn't let anyone hurt Bastian – or his own children – if he could help it, she would be no better than those who wanted him to live with his father if she allowed it. You couldn't outwit a lion by putting your head in the lion's mouth.

"Very well then," the judge announced, breaking her reverie. "If nobody has anything to say, I need some time to think over what should happen. We will have a one hour recess, and reconvene at one o'clock."

* * *

Georg found it hard to stay silent when there was so much to be said. When the judge had announced that only married people would be granted custody of Bastian, he'd had a desire to leap out of his seat, drop to his knees on the floor and ask Maria to marry him.

But he knew that was unwise. While he was almost certain Maria would marry him, love or not, if it meant securing Bastian's safety and wellbeing, he didn't want to do that to her. He wouldn't let marriage turn her into a martyr; like he had almost done to himself. He wanted her to marry him out of love. But he still didn't know whether she thought of him as anything more than a friend. And in a courtroom, a rejection would not only make him look foolish, but could possibly damage Bastian's future.

Besides, as everyone filed out, he couldn't help thinking this turn of events was even better. He now knew Maria had left the Abbey, but it was clear that was more about her cousin than anything else. Now he had the perfect opportunity to talk to her.

In the hallway, Maria and Bastian stood close to each other, both looking very uncertain. Samuel looked solemn.

"It seems all but decided," the lawyer said sadly. "Unless Maria gets married, Bastian will probably be sent to foster care."

Maria groaned inwardly and looked down at her cousin. While she hadn't thought about that, she knew it was complete luck. Foster care certainly seemed better than the orphanage, but he could be given the sweetest, kindest foster parents in Austria. Or he could end up with somebody no better than his father.

Either way it was out of her control.

Because there was no way she was going to be getting married.

"I think I need some fresh air," the Captain announced, halting her worries for the moment. Then, quite unexpectedly, he turned to her. "Would you like to join me, Fraulein?"

"Uh…alright," Maria nodded. She was confused as to why he would ask her to join him, especially without Bastian, but at the same time she felt she could use some time outside too; and despite the fact that she and Captain couldn't be more than friends, she had enjoyed his company at the villa immensely and couldn't deny that she had missed it.

* * *

They wandered through the courthouse in silence and soon they arrived in a small courtyard, containing several potted plants and a beautiful old stone bench. Maria closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. This was much better. It was almost as if they were back at the villa.

Back home.

"Captain, I – " Maria began.

"Please, call me Georg," he insisted.

She nodded, but remained silent. She hadn't really known what she was going to say, and she doubted he had any better ideas about how to help her cousin.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm well," she replied. "How are you? How are the children?"

"They're well," he nodded. "But they, uh, miss you?"

"I miss them too," Maria sighed, wringing her hands together. Not just because she missed the children, but because she was dreading the next question, but knew she had to ask it.

"What about the Baroness?"

"I think she's doing all right," the Captain seemed uncomfortable as he responded, and wouldn't look her in the eye. "Our relationship, uh, ended the morning after the party."

'After you left' went unsaid but both Maria and Georg could hear it loud and clear.

"Oh," Maria whispered. "I see."

"Maria…" he began hesitantly. It was the first time he'd called her by only her given name. It felt wonderful to him, but he wasn't sure how she'd feel about it. "I know what happened that night."

"You do?"

"Yes," Georg nodded. "Elsa woke up in time for breakfast, abnormally pleased. As soon as we were talking about the fact you and Bastian had left, she virtually admitted what she'd done. In front of the children."

Maria gasped.

"I ended things immediately," he continued. "I will not let someone act that way around my children. Or any child, for that matter."

Georg could see Maria visibly relax at his words.

"I don't blame you at all for leaving the way you did," he told her.

"Thank you," she said. "That means a lot, especially coming from you. I knew I needed to leave, but a part of me didn't want to. I didn't want to leave the children. Or you."

Maria had debated whether or not to say that final line. But in the end she decided she would. Did she really have anything to lose? If he didn't return her love she would be no worse off than she was now.

If anything it might give her some closure and allow her to move on faster.

"Ah yes. 'I will miss you,'" the Captain answered, quoting from her note. Then, he looked straight at her and, his voice soft and serious, asked: "Bastian wasn't the only reason you left the Abbey, was he?"

"No," Maria breathed.

And before she could think about what was happening, the Captain – Georg – had closed the distance between them, cupped her face in his hand and was slowly drawing it towards his…

And then they were kissing.

She'd wanted this to happen since the night they danced at the party, and had been dreaming about it ever since – which was probably sacrilege in a convent – but nothing; not dreams or thoughts or her wildest imaginations could have prepared her for the reality.

She'd gotten a glimpse of this magical feeling the night of the party, but now, instead of simply looking through the window, she had opened the door, and now found herself inside another world; transported there by his lips. And she didn't know how it was happening – how she knew what to do – but she was kissing him back.

Maria had never been kissed before. She'd had very few friends growing up, and since she'd wanted to become a nun at such a young age, hadn't had any interest in boys. And by the time that had all fallen apart – a week ago – there had only been one man she'd wanted to kiss her.

Maybe her first kiss had simply been waiting for the right moment.

Georg had wanted to kiss Maria for a long, long time. Back when she was his children's governess, who was going to be a nun. Back when he was still planning to marry Elsa Schraeder. Back when he'd given up on love. Back then he couldn't imagine kissing her without feeling guilty, but now, with all those obstacles gone, he could relish the fact that he was kissing her. In his dreams he had thought he could spend the rest of his life kissing her lips and be perfectly happy. But now that he had tasted the reality, he knew better; he would most certainly be happy, but he could kiss Maria forever and it would never be enough.

He hadn't mentioned her decision to leave the Abbey until he was confident in the answer she would give him. Until he brought it up she hadn't even mentioned her cousin; even though he was the reason they were here in Vienna today, the reason he and Elsa had broken up when they had, and the reason he was able to talk to Maria right now.

The kiss ended, and they slowly pulled apart. Her face was still cradled in his hand and she was gazing up at him, her blue eyes wonderstruck. If the kiss they'd just shared had left Georg with any doubts about whether or not Maria loved him back, her expression banished them. She looked as if all her dreams had come true.

"That night wasn't the only reason you ended your relationship with the Baroness, was it?" she asked breathlessly.

"No," he smiled. His hand left her chin and trailed down the length of her arm so he was holding her hand, causing her to smile back at him. Georg realised he hadn't seen her truly smile since they had danced. She had been smiling when they first saw each other that morning, but it hadn't been the same. Now her smile held nothing back, showing all the joy she was feeling.

"I love your smile," he said tenderly. He raised his eyes to look directly at her before he spoke possibly the three most important words of his life. Words he'd only said to one other person:

"I love you."

Maria's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp. Even though he'd just kissed her, hearing those three words made this moment real in a way it had not been before. She couldn't remember ever feeling so happy. He loved her! It gave her the confidence to finally say that one word.

"Georg?"

Her voice was soft, but Georg barely noticed that. He felt his heart swell hearing her say his name. That had only ever happened before in his dreams. And like her lips, the reality was so much more wonderful.

"Yes, my love?" he queried.

"Do you feel like we've wasted time?"

"Why?" he asked. "Because I woke to swear my love, and found you gone instead?"

"I had to. Both of us know why." Maria protested. "But yes, because I left."

"Maybe," he mused. "But you did what you thought must be done."

As Georg had told her, he didn't blame her at all for leaving that night, hard as it was on the children and him. Even though staying could've risked her cousin's safety even more, she was so brave to do what she did. It would've been so much easier to stay. But his Maria was nothing if not courageous.

"And if you hadn't, we might not be here now," he added with a smile.

Maria looked quizzical, so he explained how he only learned the truth about Elsa because she and Bastian had fled that night. Had she stayed, he would likely be engaged at this very moment, to a woman ill-suited to be his children's mother that he did not love.

"But it doesn't really matter anyway," he concluded. "We can make up for the time we lost. I've been doing that with the children. Because of you. And we have the rest of our lives to do so, my love."

He wanted nothing more than to make time itself somehow bend; undo all the pain everyone had felt and all the horrible things that had happened. 'But I'm not that strong,' he acknowledged silently.

Time keeps moving on.

But it was the truth. If things had happened even slightly different, they might not be here right now. Once upon another time, he knew exactly how their stories would end. She would become a nun, while he would marry for the children's and society's sakes, to Elsa or to someone else. But not to Maria. Once upon another time they might not be in love.

"I love you," Maria murmured, as if she'd heard his thoughts and was reassuring him.

When he heard those words leave her lips, Georg knew it was the right time. Even if he had known how she felt an hour ago, a proposal in the courtroom was very problematic. But out here, in the fresh air and sunshine, was exactly what she deserved.

"Maria," his eyes never left hers as he spoke. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh my," she breathed, before a grin spread across her face. "Yes, Georg. Yes, of course I will."

He returned the smile before leaning in to kiss her again. This time she responded faster, with more eagerness. Her arms snaked around his neck, her hands ruffling the hair at his nape. Georg wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Maria didn't protest Georg pulling her as close to him as he could. It felt wonderful. It felt _right_. Everything that had transpired in the last hour was so surreal that she wondered if she was dreaming. But her body pressed against Georg's told her she wasn't. He loved her. He wanted her to be his wife.

He wanted to marry her.

"That would mean…" she gasped excitedly after they'd broken apart, "…Bastian would –"

"Of course," Georg replied tenderly. "You aren't the only member of the family who's been missing for the past week."

Maria leaned in and rested against her Captain's chest. She had always done her best to see the best in life, despite how wicked and miserable her past had been. But she had never really felt like she truly belonged. But now she did. She could hear his heartbeat in her ear. She could feel his every breath. She might be in the courtyard of a courthouse in Vienna, but now, she knew, without a shadow of a doubt:

She was home.

"It might take the rest of our lives for me to become a proper Baroness," she said with a small laugh.

"Listen here," Georg said, taking her face in both his hands so she couldn't look away. Despite her giggles, he could tell this was something that bothered her. "The only thing you need to do to be the perfect Baroness is to be yourself."

"But-"

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he insisted. "We both know what happened last time I tried to live up to societal expectations. Unfortunately for the aristocracy, life doesn't work that way. We love and we live and we give what we can give."

"And take what little we deserve," Maria added.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," Georg remarked in astonishment.

"Something good, I guess."

* * *

 **I really didn't expect to update this soon, but this chapter is the one I've been looking forward to since before I started the story, and I loved writing it so much that I couldn't stop, so I hope you enjoyed. The title is taken from the song in _Love Never Dies_ , and there are a few lines paraphrased from both it and _Beneath a Moonless Sky_ , both by Andrew Lloyd Webber. **

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and following and favouriting my stories. It means so much to me.**


	18. (XVII) The New Truth

Neither Maria nor Georg knew how long they stayed in the courtyard. Safe in each other's arms, time was lost on them. Hardly any words were spoken, as they had almost immediately started making up for all the time – and kisses – they'd lost. Georg was relishing in his dreams literally coming true – and being surpassed, while Maria was experiencing so many new sensations that she couldn't think clearly.

She never thought kissing would happen anywhere other than the lips. But in the time since she'd accepted his proposal, her Captain had kissed not just her lips, but many other places, all without straying below her shoulders. He had kissed her forehead. He had kissed her cheeks. He had kissed her neck and her eyelids; and Maria could not get enough of it.

"We should head back soon," Georg murmured against her lips.

"Must we?" Maria moaned. Even though they were here for Bastian, she didn't want to leave the courtyard and this magical moment with Georg. Once they did, she would have to share him with the rest of the world.

"I'm afraid so," he answered. "It will be one o'clock soon."

"Alright then," she sighed reluctantly.

Georg kissed her forehead. "I don't want to go either," he whispered. "But it won't be long before it's only us."

Maria gasped softly. Of course. She might've been completely new to romance, but she knew what happened after a couple got married. There would be a honeymoon, and while the thought of being alone like this with Georg made her giddy with excitement and anticipation, there would be expectations that would need to be fulfilled.

"Maria," Georg said reassuringly. "I promise you I will not ask anything of you that you're not ready to give. Tell me if you're not comfortable with something, no matter what it is."

How did he always know what she was thinking? How could the man whose every action upon their first meeting had infuriated her be so wonderful; how could he know her better than she knew herself?

"Georg," she asked warily. Another potential problem had entered her mind. "What about the children? Do you think they'll be okay with, well, us?"

"If they're anything less than thrilled," he smiled. "I'll need to keep an even closer eye on Max, because my children are better performers than even I thought."

Maria couldn't help but laugh at that. She knew how Georg felt about his family singing in public, and Max's persistence in getting the children to do just that, but she also knew they genuinely loved her as much as she loved them.

She just hoped they weren't too upset about her leaving. After all, she didn't even say goodbye.

"Trust me, darling," he continued. "After Elsa had left, Brigitta asked me whether you and Bastian could come back."

"But I was the governess," she protested. "That's different."

"No," he was adamant. "The governess wakes the children up, supervises their lessons and then sends them off to march around the gardens. She does not read them bedtime stories or kiss their scraped knees better or sing and play with them.

"You were never just the governess."

Maria sighed, because she knew Georg was right. She had never acted like a governess with the children. If all the other governesses had been like her, the children probably wouldn't have chased off eleven of them before her.

She was still nervous, but she trusted her Captain. And if he wasn't going to worry about it, neither would she.

"Now," his tone was affectionate, but left no room for argument. "We really need to go."

* * *

They arrived back the hallway outside the courtroom with barely any time to spare and found Herr Meissner and Bastian sitting on a long, low bench in silence. Both looked very worried.

I hope you two have a plan," Samuel said. "Because I have no idea where to go from here."

"Don't worry," Georg told him, giving Maria a quick smile, which, he was pleased to see, she returned. "We do."

"Well, alright then," the lawyer said.

As Bastian followed the adults into the courtroom, he looked at the way his cousin's arm was linked around the Captain's waist with one singular thought in his mind: _Yes_.

* * *

"Alright then," announced the judge. "After thinking it over, I've decided Sebastian will return to the Orphanage of St. Hedwig. Unless anyone has another idea of what to –"

"I do, Your Honour," Georg interrupted.

Samuel looked at him with an expression that clearly said: _I hope you know what you are doing._

Since he did know _exactly_ what he was doing, Georg continued: "I would like to adopt Sebastian. He has spent a significant amount of time at my home, is well-acquainted with my family and will be well-cared for."

"You are widowed, are you not, Captain?" the judge inquired, looking almost bored.

"I was," he affirmed. "For many years. But now I am engaged."

"I see," the judge mused. He sighed. "Well, even if it's not a blood relative, sending Sebastian to a two-parent home is a better option than an orphanage."

Georg tried not to smile. He didn't want to look like he was counting his chickens before they hatched, but he already knew they'd won.

"Does your fiancée approve of this?"

"She does," Maria interrupted with a smile.

The judge was lost for words. "Do you mean that…you…?" he stammered. "Fraulein Rainer, you neglected to mention this earlier."

"Well, it all happened rather quickly," Maria admitted with a grin. She could not stop smiling. "But yes, it is true. I am engaged to Georg von Trapp."

Oh she loved saying his name.

"Well then," the judge continued, still looking rather flustered. "I think that settles it. Custody granted to Maria Rainer and her fiancé Captain Georg von Trapp."

"I knew it," Bastian cried, leaping out of his seat on the side of the room and running over to Maria, Georg and Herr Meissner. "I knew you loved him."

Maria smiled reached down and hugged her cousin. He really was as perceptive as Brigitta. Georg leaned down and hugged the boy too, after which his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close.

"Congratulations, then," the judge said. "You should try to get married as soon as possible."

"Yes Your Honour," Georg nodded. He would've gladly married Maria right here, right now. They were already in a courthouse. But he knew they should at least tell the children before they made things official.

"And on that note," declared the judge. "This matter is resolved and the court is dismissed."

* * *

The party of four had just arrived in the foyer when a voice behind them caused them to stop short. By the time they'd realised it was Hans Kutschera, he was standing right next to them.

"I think we need to discuss visitation rights," he groused. "I am after all, his father."

Maria stood silently, trying not to tremble. This man scared her. He always had. She knew she was perfectly safe with Georg there, but this fear ran so deep that not even that could reassure her completely. It defied rationality.

He wasn't drunk, which was definitely good; though Maria knew that was only because of the current circumstances. But now, she was scared for Bastian too. As the father he did have every right to request to see his son, but they were all here today because he shouldn't.

Thankfully, her Captain started talking, saving her from having to respond to her uncle. "Well," he said decidedly. "It will be up to Bastian. If he wants to see you regularly we can work something out and– "

"I don't," Bastian interrupted loudly.

Maria's breath caught as an aghast and furious look came over her uncle's face. "And you will do as I say," he growled. "I'm your father."

"Do you even know him?" Georg snapped. He had finally lost his composure. "You didn't know he existed until you were called for this court case. If you hadn't been called here; hadn't known about him, would you care about this at all?"

Herr Kutschera opened and closed his mouth, his voice faltering before he could say a complete word.

Because there was nothing he could say.

"I know what you did to Maria," continued Georg, his voice low and dangerous.

"So do I," Bastian added. "And I won't let you near my family again."

Maria gasped, louder this time. She had never thought her cousin would be so confrontational. The only time she'd ever seen him this impassioned was when he had snapped at her for not letting him see his father.

The exact opposite of what he was standing up for now.

"I think that's all there is to say," Georg concluded. "Now if you'll excuse us."

* * *

Georg held tightly to her arm until they were outside the building and waiting by Herr Meissner's car.

"Are you alright, darling?" he asked. His hands were on her arms, trying to still their trembling.

"Yes," she said. "He just…he just…"

"I know," he said reassuringly. "It's okay. We don't have to worry about him anymore."

He pulled her close and kissed her forehead and Maria knew that, once again, he was right. Now that they were together, she didn't have to worry anymore. About her uncle, or anything else. Because with her Captain – with her family – she knew everything would be alright in the end.

"I'll drop you back to the hotel before I return home," Herr Meissner said, breaking the moment. Maria knew he was talking to Georg, but he turned to her a moment later, and asked: "May we offer you two a lift to your hotel?"

"Yes please," she answered. "That would be wonderful." She wanted to spend as much time as possible with Georg, even if it was only a car ride. They would see each other again when they got back to Salzburg of course but she and Bastian wouldn't be back until tomorrow. And she didn't know how long Georg was staying in Vienna.

"We're staying at the Hotel Kärntnerhof," she informed Herr Meissner as she and Bastian climbed into the backseat of the car.

"So are we," Georg replied, turning around to look at her.

"We?" Maria was puzzled. "I thought you just said – "

"Yes," clarified Georg. "He is. But I may have brought somebody with me. Or somebodies."

"The children?" Bastian asked.

"Mmm-hmm," Georg nodded. "And Max. We figured if you weren't going to come back, they should see you one last time. That's why we're at the Kärntnerhof."

'Of course' Maria thought. While the hotel seemed a little cheap for the von Trapps, if Georg had brought Max and the children along as well, it made sense they mightn't be able to stay somewhere else.

Conversely it was a little out of her price range; but she had consciously chosen that particular hotel to make Bastian's time in Vienna as memorable as possible, in case the outcome of today hadn't been a good one. Though not even she could've imagined how wonderful today would be when they'd left that morning. And now, knowing she wouldn't have to leave Georg just yet, and would see the children, it just seemed to get better and better.

* * *

"Why don't you two go up to your room and freshen up," Georg suggested when they'd arrived at the hotel. "I need to make a telephone call. After I'm done, I'll come up and then we'll go see the children."

Maria nodded, told Georg the number of her and Bastian's room, and followed her cousin up the stairs.

She couldn't remember ever feeling so happy. Not only had Georg returning her love been unexpected, but she'd never imagined that love could be so amazing. He hadn't just shown her not only how much he loved her with his kisses, but in his actions when they encountered her uncle. He had been the one to speak to him, and he'd held her close afterwards to make sure was alright. He'd called her 'darling'.

She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with this man.

He was knocking on the door before she knew it, and as soon as she opened it, she flew into his arms and kissed him.

"Well, hello to you too Fraulein," he chuckled after the kiss ended, before immediately pulling her in for another.

Maria didn't mind that her cousin was watching. Now that, for the first time, he was living in a two-parent household, he should see how two people who loved – and, more importantly, respected – each other acted.

After they'd managed to pull themselves away from each other, Georg led Maria and Bastian upstairs to the suite where he was staying with the children and Max. The latter greeted them as soon as Georg had opened the door, a knowing grin on his face.

"I take it you were successful Georg," he smirked.

"Yes," Georg answered shortly, knowing exactly what Max was talking about.

"So, how did it go at court?"

"Georg just said –" Maria began, only to be interrupted.

"He wasn't talking about that," he said, looking down momentarily to see realisation dawn on her face and a blush creep up her cheeks. Oh, she was so adorable.

"We won," he told Max.

"So Maria has custody?"

"No," Maria shook her head. "We..." she gestured to Georg "…have custody."

"Oh I see," Max said. "You certainly were successful Georg. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Max," Georg replied. "Are the children here? Because if I find out you've let them run through the hallways switching peoples shoes I –"

"Calm down," Max laughed. "They're in the other room. Have they been in any mood to do such things since Maria left?"

"You're right," Georg conceded. "For once."

Max looked on in mock offense as Georg called out to the children. It was so different from the first day Maria had met them. The door opened slowly, but as soon as the children noticed their beloved Fraulein was back, they were racing towards her, cheering loudly.

"Fraulein Maria!"

"Bastian!"

"Yay!"

Seven bodies collided with the cousins before either of them fully knew what was happening, and Maria found herself hugging one child after another in such rapid succession that by the time she found a moment to catch her breath all the children bar Marta had moved on to greet Bastian.

"I missed you," she whispered. The seven year old was still nuzzled at her side.

"I missed you," Maria replied, ruffling the girl's hair. "I missed all of you."

"Can you please never leave again," Gretl pleaded, running over to sit by her.

Here now, with everyone she cared most about beside her, Maria could at last fully contemplate the upshot of this afternoon. Everybody here loved her, and she would never have to leave any of them ever again. This was her family.

"I'm not going anywhere," she answered solemnly.

"What?" asked Friedrich. "It's almost September and –"

"Maria will not be returning to the Abbey," Georg answered.

"She has to look after Bastian, silly," Louisa shot a snarky observation at her brother. "Nuns can't have children, even if they're adopted."

"Actually," Maria started, only to be cut off once more.

"They're going to be married!" Bastian blurted out.

This news sent all seven children racing back into Maria's arms, all cheering and talking over one another. Each query brought a smile to Maria's face. She was so happy and relieved that they were as excited about her marrying their father as she was. She could hear whispers of 'I knew it,' from Brigitta and Liesl among the other jumbled voices.

"Really?"

"When?"

"Can we come to the wedding?"

"Can I call you 'Mother'?"

"Is Bastian staying forever too?"

"Alright, alright," Georg announced, bringing the questions to a halt. "All your questions will be answered soon. And I thought we'd all go out for dinner tonight to celebrate. But right now, I need to talk to your Fraulein."

* * *

 **The Hotel Kärntnerhof really exists. I don't know if it would've been a hotel in the 1930s, but I believe the building was there. Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading.**


	19. (XVIII) Relatively Speaking

"I'm glad we can have some time alone," Maria said as soon as Georg had closed the door to the bedroom the children were using. He thought it might be easier if they were in this room for him to resist the desire he had to take his fiancée right here, right now, but he already knew that it wouldn't erase it completely. She had absolutely no idea how alluring she was.

"Mm-hmm yes," he mused, kissing her lips quickly. "But I do actually need to talk to you about something."

"Oh alright," she sighed dramatically. While Maria would've loved nothing more than to just kiss her Captain, but it seemed that would have to wait. "Is it about the phone call? Who were you talking to?"

"My sister."

"I didn't know you had a sister," she said, sitting down on one of the beds. "I guess I don't actually know that much about you."

"I could say the same thing about you, Fraulein," Georg smirked, sitting beside her. "But I know enough to know I love you. And we have plenty of time to learn everything else."

"Starting now," Maria smiled. She leaned over to kiss him again.

"Um, yes," he said, breaking the kiss almost immediately. "Well that's what we need to talk about…"

"What?" Maria was confused. She knew Georg wouldn't be bringing things up if he didn't need to, but she also didn't know what it was that they needed to discuss. "What is it?"

"Well," Georg began. He stood up and started pacing around the room. "When people find out that Captain von Trapp is not marrying Baroness Schraeder, but his children's governess – who was going to be a nun – they'll start talking…"

"Talking?"

"Yes," he said. His voice was a mix of sad and disgusted. "About us…"

Maria gasped. She knew exactly what he meant, and not growing up amongst the aristocracy, she couldn't imagine that anyone could think such things, let alone say them.

"They would really believe that? That we –" she couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Unfortunately, yes," Georg gave a solemn nod. "Between that and the fact that we need to marry soon because of Bastian, gossip is going to start spreading. And fast."

"But it's not the truth," she protested. Georg thought she might be on the verge of tears.

"People don't care about the truth," he replied sadly. "They care about what's interesting. And what they'll assume is interesting. To them."

"They would really think that little of you?"

Georg couldn't help smiling a little. He loved her so much. It was so typical of her to be more worried about him and everyone else, rather than herself.

"I'm afraid so darling," he sighed. "I don't care about my reputation – it's been uh, colourful for years – but I won't have yours damaged."

"But –"

"But nothing, Maria," he interjected. He knelt down in front of her and pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. She mightn't mind now. But he knew that if she heard anyone say the vile things common with gossip about her, she would be devastated. As hard as it was to believe, his Maria could break. "We're going to have to do something during the engagement."

"What do you suggest?" she asked softly.

"I see three options," he sighed. "We either fill the house with chaperones, to quell the rumours as much as possible, you stay at the Abbey until the wedding or I go away until the wedding."

"Go away?" she gasped. "Where?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted sadly. "But it won't be in Austria."

Maria's breath hitched.

"I'll let you choose," he added. "This is already such a change for you. I don't want to make you feel more uncomfortable than you need to."

"Which is why I was calling my sister," he continued. "In addition to telling her the news, I thought she might make a good chaperone. If you decide we should do that."

Maria nodded slowly. This was a lot for her to process. She knew that her whole life would be different if she married Georg, but seeing the changes in practice was very different. She loved Georg and the children too much to even consider changing her mind, but these were changes she'd never expected, and they were all coming at her so quickly.

The idea of not seeing Georg until they got married was unthinkable. Of course she knew what would happen with chaperones, but at least she would still get to see her Captain.

"I choose chaperones," she said confidently.

"Okay then," he concluded. "Then that's what'll we'll do."

"Also," he continued. "I'm going to see Hede tomorrow morning. I told her you might come along, but only if you want to. I don't want to make thing harder for you."

"She'll love you," he added, noticing the hesitant expression on his fiancée's face. "I know she will. But if you don't want to –"

"No no, I'll come," Maria interrupted. "If I'm going to marry you I should meet your family."

Georg smiled as he moved to sit beside her once more.

"I love you," he said earnestly, kissing her softly on the lips.

Maria melted against him and returned the kiss, whispering against his lips:

"I love you too."

* * *

Hede von Trapp ran her hands through her hair again. She was pacing around her foyer, waiting for the inevitable ring of the doorbell. She smoothed out a crease in her orange-red skirt, even though she knew it wouldn't make a difference.

Hede was not the time of person who got anxious easily or often. But right now, she was a complete wreck.

And it had all started with that damn telephone call.

 _"Hello?"_

 _"Hede," said the voice on the other end of the line. "Hello."_

 _"Georg?" Hede asked. She knew his voice and at the same time she didn't. She'd grown up with that voice, yet she still doubted whether it was him. "Is that you?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"You sound very well," she didn't know what else to say._

 _"I am," he confirmed. "I haven't felt this happy in a long time."_

 _She knew what that was code for: since Agathe was alive. And she had to admit, she agreed. The last time her brother had sounded like this was before his wife had died._

 _"Well, that's good to hear," she continued, still surprised at this turn of events – whatever it was. "What can I do for you?"_

 _"Well, I'm in Vienna right now and was wondering if I could come over and see you," said Georg. "Maybe tomorrow morning?"_

 _It seemed like a normal enough request, but she hadn't talked to brother in a very long time. But she would love to see him again, especially now that something good had happened._

 _"That sounds great," she replied._

 _Or had it?_

 _"Is anything wrong?" she asked cautiously._

 _"No, no, no," Georg assured her. "But I do have some news, and I'd prefer to tell you in person."_

 _This confused Hede even more. The Georg of the past few years barely talked to her at all. Talking to her in person had to mean something bad._

 _But, through good and bad, he was still her little brother. And she trusted him._

 _"It'll just be you tomorrow?" she asked._

 _"And possibly my fiancée," he said quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye."_

 _He hung up before she could say any more. "Auf Wiedersehen," she said lamely to the receiver._

She had been nervous ever since. Georg was bringing his fiancée. Last she had heard that was going to be Baroness Elsa Schraeder. While she was elegant and glamorous; always the toast of society parties, her feelings on the current political situation were the complete opposite of Georg's. Her feelings about children were also no secret; she wanted nothing to do with them. And Georg had seven. All in all Hede couldn't help but feeling like her brother had made a grave mistake. And she didn't know how to tell him.

'To be fair,' she thought. 'I might not even have to worry about it today.' Georg had only said it was possible that fiancée was coming. So maybe Elsa wouldn't come. Hede wouldn't put it past her to think of her fiancé's sister as common, not being part of the upper echelon of the aristocracy.

She found that scenario much more appealing, even if it didn't bode well for her relationship with her future sister-in-law and only lasted a day.

Georg had sounded so happy. The last time she'd seen him so happy was one of the last times she'd seen him. They still corresponded by the occasional letter or telephone call for events such as birthdays or Christmas, but she hadn't been to Salzburg in almost five years.

After Agathe's funeral she had stayed behind at the villa for a short while to make sure Georg and the children were okay. Though nothing would be the same, the children's grieving period was not out of the ordinary. But Georg was different.

Her brother had been destroyed after Agathe died; half of his life had died with the Navy, while most of the remaining half seemed to be buried with her.* He'd been so sad for so long and Hede wanted nothing more than for him to be happy once more. And if Elsa Schraeder was the person who had done this, she couldn't begrudge him for it, and would find a way to be okay with it.

The ringing of the doorbell ended her train of thought.

Georg walked in, holding the arm of a woman who was definitely not Elsa Schraeder. She had short strawberry-blonde hair and was at least twenty years younger than the Baroness.

"Hede," Georg began before she could say anything, "I'd like you to meet my fiancée Maria."

Hede felt shocked, relieved and curious all at the same time. Shocked and relieved at the fact Georg wasn't going to marry Baroness Schraeder, but curious as to exactly who this girl that he was going to marry was. She was momentarily speechless.

"Oh, um…" she stammered "…It's nice to meet you, Maria. Georg," she turned to address her brother. "I thought you would be bringing Elsa."

"Ah yes," Georg replied sheepishly, "I suppose I probably should have mentioned that."

Maria's face fell. Despite what Georg told her yesterday, she was still expecting this. Of course Hede wouldn't think she was enough for Georg. _She_ didn't even feel like she was enough for Georg. Georg's sister would want Baroness Schraeder for her brother. Or at least someone like Baroness Schraeder.

"Don't worry," said Hede quickly. "I'm very glad my brother isn't engaged to Elsa."

"You are?" Maria almost sighed in relief.

"Yes," she affirmed. "She never seemed like a good match for Georg to me. Or the children, for that matter."

"Well, I'm glad somebody knew," said Georg dramatically.

Maria smiled. It seemed like everything was going to be alright after all. She took a moment to look at her future sister-in-law; with the chaotic arrival, she hadn't had time to do more than glance at her.

She didn't exactly know what she had been expected Georg's sister to look like, but it wasn't this. She had the same eyes as Georg, but aside from that she was as different from her brother as Brigitta was from Louisa; fair where Georg was dark. Her pale blonde hair fell in loose waves to her shoulders and her figure was bigger and curvier than Maria had expected, given she was a von Trapp, and by extension an aristocrat.

She suddenly realised she was looking into the future. The woman in front of her was the spitting image of Gretl. Or at least, what Gretl would look like when she was her father's age.

"Come in, please," Hede said, gesturing down the hall. "I want to know everything."

* * *

When everyone arrived in the parlour, they found a lovely tea set out for them, and once everyone was seated and comfortable, starting at the very beginning, Georg and Maria explained everything to Hede; from Maria arriving as the governess, to finding out about her cousin, to falling in love and the court case they'd won yesterday. He even mentioned Elsa's actions at the party.

"Oh my," Hede gasped. "I knew she didn't like children, but that…"

"I know," Georg agreed. "It was completely unacceptable. And yet… if she hadn't done it, I don't know if we'd be here right now."

"Well I'm glad she's not around the family anymore," Hede concluded. Her comment was met with nods from both Maria and Georg.

"So Georg tells me you're an artist," Maria said. Now that the basics had been covered, she was eager to change the subject and learn more about Georg's sister.

"Yes," replied Hede. "I never seemed to be able to succeed with music the way my brother could. So I turned to painting instead."

Maria was surprised, even though she knew she shouldn't be. In addition to playing the guitar, she knew Georg was an accomplished pianist, and the children – who were all very musically gifted – had told her their mother had played the violin.

But despite being all very musically talented, in other endeavours their skills varied. Not all of them could climb the trellis like Liesl had that first night, and Maria suspected she had done it more out of sheer desperation than talent or interest. None of the others could read as quickly as Brigitta, and Louisa's stubbornness was only rivalled by Gretl's five year old willpower.

That was just the way families worked.

"I'd love to see some of your pieces," she continued.

"Of course," Hede replied with a smile.

Georg was smiling too. It had barely been fifteen minutes, but already Maria and Hede were as thick as thieves. While he had been confident that they would get along, seeing them together sent the few doubts he had away for good.

Last night's dinner had been wonderful. Everyone was in a great mood, excited about their new family members. At one point Gretl had announced, loudly enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear, that she was getting a new mother _and_ a new brother. To which Louisa scoffed that two were more than enough, even though everyone could see she was just as happy about Bastian joining the family as her younger sister was.

With all the pain and anxiety since night of the party, Georg was very happy to sit with his sister and fiancée and reminisce and reflect. But he hadn't wanted to visit Hede simply to introduce her to Maria. There was the other pressing matter that needed to be covered before they all returned to Salzburg that afternoon; and Max couldn't keep the children occupied forever, especially in the wake of yesterday's news.

"Hede," he interjected. "We do need to ask you a favour?"

"Of course," she replied. "What can I do?"

Georg explained about the need for chaperones in the house until the wedding. As he'd told Maria yesterday, between her past as his children's governess – and a postulant before that – and the push to get married as soon as possible for Bastian's sake, there was going to be quite a lot of gossip surrounding their relationship.

"Because Max is absolutely _wonderful_ at chaperoning," Georg added sardonically.

Everyone laughed.

"Of course I'll come," Hede agreed. "I'll need to talk to a few people; just to let them know I won't be around, but I can probably be there early next week. It'll be lovely to see the children again. And I can't wait to meet Bastian, and get to know you better, Maria."

* * *

 **Asterisked sentence is paraphrased from _The Story of the Trapp Family Singers._**


	20. (XIX) Chaperones and Gravestones

Bastian was already awake when Maria knocked on his door the next morning. He was an early riser – another thing he had in common with Brigitta.

"Maria," the boy asked tentatively once they were in the hall. "I, well…I'd like to go and visit my mother's grave, if that's alright."

"Of course it's alright," replied Maria. She had only visited her mother's grave a couple of times; with her father. And since she had gone to live with her uncle as soon as he had died, she had never visited his. She didn't even know where it was.

She wasn't going to deny her cousin that opportunity, especially if he wanted it. "I'll talk to Georg," she said. "We'll work something out."

"Thank you," said Bastian quietly. "Will you come with me?"

"I would be honoured," she told him sincerely. "Now, I'm going to wake the others up. See you downstairs?"

Bastian nodded, and with that Maria headed over to the opposite wing of the house.

Soon Bastian would be over here, sharing a room with Friedrich and Kurt. Soon she would be in here, in the same room as…

They had arrived back from Vienna yesterday, and everything that had happened since had been such a whirlwind that she'd barely thought about the future beyond the wedding. But after the honeymoon, after she and her Captain were husband and wife, after she was Baroness von Trapp, her bedroom would be over on this side of the house.

The family wing.

She had considered the von Trapps family, even if only subconsciously, long before Georg had proposed. Perhaps even before she had run away that night.

It felt so right to be moving over here.

* * *

Maria stayed behind for a moment when the children went up to the classroom to begin their lessons. She wanted to ask Georg about Bastian's request, but she didn't know where he was. He hadn't been at breakfast and the children had no more idea as to why than she did. She was about to look in study when she saw Max walking down the stairs, no doubt heading for the dining room to have a late breakfast.

"Max," she asked him. "Have you seen Georg?"

"He went into town," replied the impresario, trying to hide a knowing smile. "He said he'd be back for lunch."

Satisfied with that answer, Maria thanked him and made her way to the classroom.

True to what Max had said, Georg returned just as lunch was being served on the terrace. He ate with a small smile on his face, and as soon as the children had finished, grabbed Maria's hand to stop her from following them as they rushed down the stairs.

When Georg smiled at her, Maria couldn't help smiling back. And before she could even open her mouth, he addressed the question she had: "I thought you might like to know where I was this morning."

"Yes," she replied softy as her Captain reached into his jacket and took out a small velvet box, which he opened to reveal a beautiful gold ring, with a sparkling round cut diamond, flanked one each side by rose quartz.

Maria gasped. In all the excitement and activity of the past couple of days, she hadn't even thought about an engagement ring. She honestly wouldn't have minded if Georg had never given her one. But now that she had seen it, she was very glad he had.

"Oh Georg," she gasped. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you darling," he said, taking the ring out of the box and sliding it onto her finger, which he then kissed.

"Thank you," she whispered with a blush.

"I did want to ask you something though…" she added; her voice soft.

Georg waited for her to continue. It took a few seconds before she spoke again, as though she was nervous about broaching the subject.

"Bastian wanted to go down to Innsbruck to visit his mother's grave," she finally said. "I know with all the wedding plans and everything, I don't wa –"

Georg leaned over and kissed her. As he'd anticipated, she immediately stopped talking. "That sounds wonderful," he answered once the kiss ended. "And it's definitely more important than planning this…this circus."

He took her hand in his once again to reassure her. He didn't want a big wedding. He'd already had one, and even back then he hadn't much cared for it. Maria was a humble woman, and he felt a small, humble wedding would be more than enough for both of them.

"Of course we can arrange that," he continued. "Just you two?"

Maria nodded.

"Alright then," Georg concurred. He then sighed and looked out over the lake, a wistful expression coming over his face.

"What is it?"

"Well, you just made me think," he said. "I should visit Agathe's grave. I haven't done that in years. You wouldn't…"

"Not at all," Maria smiled. "I think it's a lovely idea. I know what she meant to you, and I don't ever want you to forget that."

Georg just smiled. He could never repay his fiancée for all that she had given him, and all that she would continue to give him.

* * *

Unfortunately for Maria, the bliss of that first day was shattered the next morning.

Hede, along with several other people, arrived to be chaperones. Besides Georg's sister, she had never met any of them, and while they were friendly enough, everything they talked about went right over Maria's head. She had no idea why there was such a big deal about the 'Bordeaux', or what hors d'oeuvres were. For goodness' sakes, Gretl – _Gretl –_ had to teach her which utensil to use on her first night as governess; and now she couldn't even remember that.

It was clear that as someone marrying into aristocracy, or even just as a woman, she should know such things. Unfortunately for her companions, for the better part of the last five years, she had been in a convent.

Unfortunately for Maria though, was the fact that they weren't the only thing keeping her away from her family.

A lot of her time was taken up by wedding plans. It was less than three weeks away, and it seemed to Maria as though every minute someone needed her to confirm a detail, most of which she hadn't ever thought of. Frau Schmidt was asking her about the venue for the reception, while the cook was inquiring about the wedding cake and the food. Somebody wanted to know about flowers at the same time another was asking about the colour scheme. Not to mention the girls' constant persistence about her wedding dress.

Maria knew everyone meant well, but it was only two days before she wanted to throw up her hands and scream "It doesn't matter!" Not only did she feel it better to let everyone else handle everything; in this world she barely knew, how could she possibly plan a wedding properly? Especially when she genuinely did not care about the finer points of the whole affair? Georg was right: it was a circus. The only things that mattered to her were that she married Georg with the children present. While it was a given that they were having the wedding at the Abbey, in the garden outside the gazebo in the blue dress she'd worn the night of the puppet show would've been just as preferable. She knew God was with her everywhere.

* * *

A few days later, as promised, Maria and Bastian caught the train down to Innsbruck to visit his mother's grave. Bastian was glad to finally spend some one-on-one time with his cousin, who was relieved to have a break from the wedding planning.

They slowly made their way through the cemetery, before finding the resting place of Bastian's mother. The gravestone read:

 _ADELHEID DRESCHNER_

 _1905 -1938_

She had only died a few months ago, so unlike the other headstones around it, it was almost completely free of dirt, indicative of its recent erection.

Before they arrived, they had stopped at a nearby market and bought a bouquet of tulips. Bastian said his mother had always loved these flowers. Now, he knelt down and laid them down in front of the grave.

"I know it wouldn't be necessary if…" he murmured, "…but I wish she could…I wish she could come to the wedding."

Maria gave her cousin a small, empathic smile. "I know exactly what you mean."

Having the wedding at the Abbey meant the nuns would already be in attendance, but it was obvious by the end of the first day she herself had nobody else to invite.

"She would've liked you," continued the boy; bringing Maria back to the present. "Father too."

Maria gasped silently. She knew Bastian wasn't talking about her uncle.

He was the only child who wasn't calling Maria 'Mother'. Every other child had called her 'Mother' at least once, but as her cousin, it went unspoken that Bastian would not follow suit. But when it came to Georg, he was in the same position as the other children were with her.

Georg really was the only father figure he'd ever had, and Maria was moved hearing him call her Captain that. She only wished he was here to hear it, but she knew that would happen soon enough.

* * *

Georg laid the lilies – her favourites – in front of the headstone with a small, content smile. While Maria and Bastian were in Innsbruck, he thought it was the perfect time for him to do the same thing, as he had mentioned to his fiancée. It had been so long since he had been here last that there were no flowers left anymore. Like before, there were the beginnings of tears in his eyes – visiting Agathe's grave was one of the few moments that he allowed himself to be vulnerable – but for the first time in years he didn't feel bitter.

"Oh Agathe," he whispered. "She was out there, just like you promised me. I know you're happy for me, and I know you'd have loved Maria. I miss you, but I won't spend my life alone. And I will always love you."

He had asked the children if they wanted to come with him, and to his great happiness, each one of them had said yes. He surmised the little ones, who had barely known their mother, had come more out of joining their brothers and sisters than anything else, but it still made him proud.

Marta and Gretl had made little flowers and hearts out of paper, and after he had stepped back they silently laid them on the ground next to the lilies before stepping back themselves to allow their other siblings to come forward.

They all walked slowly up to the gravestone. Liesl was carrying a small bouquet of flowers that they had all picked; daffodils, roses, daises, and any others they could find around the gardens at the villa.

"We love you Mama," she whispered, as she laid them down besides the lilies and paper hearts. Then, one by one the others approached.

Neither Brigitta nor Kurt spoke. The former was even calmer than usual, while that seemingly permanently grin of Kurt's was nowhere to be seen.

"We will visit again more often," Friedrich murmured.

"Soon," added Louisa in a soft voice.

Georg watched on in silence. Just having the children with him was wonderful, but seeing them acknowledge their mother as beautifully as they were, really touched him.

* * *

The following day, Baroness Ebberfeld – Matilda, she kept telling Maria – and Countess Heppenheimer – her two designated chaperones – were keeping her company over a cup of tea. They weren't pestering her about wedding preparations, but rather her position of wife and future Baroness von Trapp.

"We need to talk about your trousseau, dear," Matilda said.

"My what?" Maria asked, knowing she sounded stupid.

"Your trousseau," the elder woman repeated, as it that would make her understand. "Surely you don't expect to spend your wedding night in, well…"

"Oh," Maria barely made a sound, her mouth simply opening, and then closing.

Thinking about it, upgrading her nightclothes now that she was marrying Georg, wasn't such a bad idea. But Maria already knew it wouldn't be that simple. One nightgown wouldn't be sufficient; she'd need several of them, along with peignoirs, undergarments and God knows what else.

And once again, she just didn't care. She did want to look beautiful for her Captain on their wedding night – no matter how nervous she was about it – but this was excessive. Maybe it was her lowly background, but Maria just didn't understand the point. All these things would serve the exact same purpose. Did she really need one in every colour of the rainbow?

She always knew that becoming a Baroness would bring with it new requirements and obligations. But she hadn't expected it to extend to her wardrobe; not to this degree anyway. Especially not her nightwear, which only Georg would see.

Her head swam. First the never-ending wedding preparations, now this… It was too much. She needed to get away from it. From feeling like someone else; someone who didn't belong here.

"Are you alright, dear?" asked the Countess.

Maria barely heard her. "I think I just need some air," she managed to say. Her voice sounded far away and detached. "If you'll excuse me…"

She fled from the room, not even waiting for an answer. She didn't care if she wasn't supposed to be alone with Georg, she needed to find him. She knew how he felt about all the plans and changes. If anyone could calm all her doubts and worries, it would be him.

* * *

"Wha – " Georg cried when he heard the study door being flung open.

He smiled at the sight of his fiancée leaning against the door, but before he could tease her about them being alone together, he saw the look in her eyes, and he knew that fact was irrelevant. Right now, she needed comfort.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Tell me darling."

He moved towards her and as soon as he was close enough, she collapsed against his chest.

"I-I c-can't do this," she sobbed into his jacket.

"The wedding?" he asked seriously. "All the planning?"

She looked up at him and shook her head. "No not that," she assured him, but Georg knew there was more. Sure enough, a moment later she added: "Well it is…but it isn't. Not right now."

"Then what?" He pulled back from her slightly and led her over to the sofa, before wrapping her in his arms once more.

"Become a Baroness. An aristocrat," she wept, shuffling ever closer to him. "It feels like I have to become a different person."

"I told you," Georg said, lifting her chin and brushing the tears from her cheeks. "You don't have to change who you are just because you're marrying me. That's the last thing I want our marriage to do."

"I can't," she protested. Georg could tell she was trying to keep more tears at bay. "Everyone's telling me I need to do this or have that. I don't want any of it, but I feel like I need to, because that's what a Baroness does."

"Is that so?" Georg said, cocking an eyebrow. "I have a feeling this Baroness will do whatever she wants."

Maria gave him a weak smile.

"I'm serious though," he continued. "If you don't want to do something or have something, just because everyone's telling you to, you don't have to." He knew there were certain things about upper-class society she would be unable to do anything about, but she didn't need to hear that right now.

"Really?" she sniffled.

"Of course," he replied, his voice once again solemn. "You have that power now Baroness."

"Please don't ever call me that."

"Alright then," Georg mused. He wasn't at all surprised that Maria didn't want to be called 'Baroness'. In addition to being far grander and more bombastic than anything she was used to, the only Baroness she'd met had confronted her and slapped her cousin. "How about…lovely? Beautiful, stunning, gorgeous…"

"Okay okay, I get the point," Maria giggled, before her tone became serious. "Thank you."

You're welcome _liebling_ ," he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I also don't my wife to be 'the Baroness'. I want her to be my Maria."

She smiled, a full, happy smile; and between that and her earlier giggle, Georg knew she was feeling better.

"Now, my love," he sighed. "You should probably get back to the wedding plans."

Maria nodded in resignation, and they both stood up and walked across the room, back to the study door.

"Thank you," she murmured, leaning over and kissing her Captain's cheek. "For everything."

* * *

Hede had joined Baroness Ebberfeld and Countess Heppenheimer when Maria returned to the parlour.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Maria replied. She was still nervous about what was coming; not just in the next few minutes, but until the wedding, but now she knew what to do.

"Well then," said Matilda. "We should get back to the matter at hand…"

Maria played Georg's words over and over in her mind as her companions discussed her trousseau. It took some time, but she stood firm and eventually managed to get the ladies to accept her decision: two of everything; two nightgowns, two peignoirs and two pairs of undergarments. She could tell they wanted more, but Maria felt even that was more than she needed and, as befitted a Baroness wouldn't let anyone change her mind.

Hede stood by her the entire time, which made Maria much more comfortable. As she had come to learn, her future sister-in-law found the much of the opulence of high society pointless, just like her brother, and she was grateful she had been there to support her.

Maria knew that, along with her Captain, Hede would be there to reassure her; not just until in the wedding, but for the rest of their lives.

She might be able to get through this after all.


	21. (XX) A Shopping Trip

"Thank you for letting me come with you Fraulein," Liesl was practically skipping as she followed Maria and Hede into the dress shop.

"You're welcome," Maria said. "After all, you are my Maid of Honour."

To Maria's slight horror, today she was going shopping. She was glad that Hede and even Liesl were accompanying her, especially since she also had an appointment with the couturier about her wedding dress. She'd told Frau Seidel she'd wanted something simple; no lace or frills or big fluffy bows. She had left everything else up to the couturier, since she was certain that, when it came to clothing, she wouldn't know elegance if it bit her on the nose.

She hoped shopping beforehand would help.

But her jaw still dropped and she still let out a gasp when they walked inside. Liesl was in seventh heaven, gazing at the racks upon racks filled with beautiful gowns, dresses, skirt suits and – Maria gulped – lingerie.

With a smile, Hede led her through the aisles, firstly to the dresses.

They eventually found a few that Maria had to admit she liked. Among them were a blue one with full length, puffy sleeves and a small belt around the waist, and a knee length white dress with delicate embroidered flowers and a sash just below the bust.

She didn't think any of them quite as pretty as the blue chiffon dress she'd worn on the evening of the puppet show, or the one she'd worn when she'd danced with Georg at the party; both of which she was determined to keep. And although they were clothes fit for a Baroness, they were the types of dresses she would choose for herself, regardless of her title.

And then there was the dress unlike anything Maria had ever worn. It was white, and like the other dresses it was knee length. But it had a plunging V neckline trimmed in white satin.

There were gowns too, for the more formal occasions. Once again, they were all simple. They lacked the glittering sparkles she'd seen on the women at the party, but were still decidedly elegant.

At least, that's what Hede told her.

For suits, Maria decided on a pink one, a green one, and a caramel coloured one, all with knee length skirts and simple jackets.

The nightgowns were easiest of all; two, both floor length, in white and pink, with peignoirs in violet and lemon.

At last she and Hede arrived at the lingerie section.

As Maria had promised to herself, she would only buy two sets of everything that counted as part of her trousseau. But strangely enough, this choice proved to be the hardest of all. She had never seen undergarments like these.

Maybe it was because, as far as she was concerned the majority of them could hardly be called undergarments, they had so little fabric. Or maybe it was the fact that the only person who would see her in these was Georg and she wanted to look beautiful for him.

It took longer than Maria would've liked – she was rather self-conscious just being in the store – but she finally came to a decision. Both were modest, again not unlike something she would wear herself. The biggest difference was both the bra and panties were trimmed with lace.

"He'll love you in those," Hede assured her. "He can't keep his eyes off you. He looks at you the way he looked at…"

"Agathe," Maria supplied.

"Yes," she replied softly. "Thank you Maria. You've brought my brother back."

* * *

"The appointment at the couturiers isn't for another hour. Shall we go have some afternoon tea?" Hede asked as they walked out of the boutique. "I saw a bakery around the corner."

Both Maria and Liesl nodded in assent and the three headed around the corner. Maria gasped.

This was the Steiner's bakery. She felt rather bad about it about virtually forgetting the bakery Natascha's parents owned and operated.

They walked in the door and immediately sat down at one of two cast-iron tables. There were two women behind the counter; a girl not much older than Maria, and a middle aged woman she recognised as Natascha's mother. At the other table three elderly ladies were talking to each other.

Liesl went up to counter to order, and returned still gushing over the clothes Maria had purchased. Despite the topic, Maria was glad to get lost in a conversation that had nothing to do with all the preparations awaiting her back at the villa. It had gotten better in the last few days, but she suspected that was because she was finally getting used to it. She didn't care about most of it any more than she had that first day.

When their treats arrived, Frau Steiner looked at Maria suspiciously.

"You look familiar…" she said.

"It's me Frau Steiner," Maria laughed. She hadn't seen her for five years; back when she still had her long strawberry-blonde curls.

"Oh, Maria," cried Frau Steiner. "My dear girl, how are you? It's been such a long time."

"I'm very well, thank you," continued Maria. "Happier than I have been in a long, long time, actually."

Then a thought popped into her head. "Is Natascha here?" she asked. Like the bakery itself, so much had happened recently that she had barely thought of her old friend, but now she realised she would very much like her to come to the wedding.

"Not today," Frau Steiner sighed. "And not now."

"Now?"

"Yes," the older woman answered. "She got married last year, and now she's expecting a baby. So I told her she wouldn't be helping here while she was pregnant."

"Oh that's wonderful," cried Maria.

"And you my dear," she eyed Hede, Liesl, and the shopping bags at their feet. "For some reason, I'm thinking you're no longer going to be a nun."

Maria laughed. "You're right, I'm not. I'm getting married too. Next Saturday."

"Congratulations," Frau Steiner said before walking off, leaving them to enjoys their treats.

* * *

They ate in relative silence, and for a moment everything was perfect. Maria didn't have to think about the wedding; she was just here, in her old favourite bakery, eating strudel with her family.

But then they heard the women at the other table talking. And their topic of conversation had shifted.

"He seemed to be an honourable man," one said.

"He is...now," replied another. "But he was quite the rake when he was younger, and his wife's been gone for a while now, so…"

"But the governess, really. The governess?"

"Well you know there's only one reason anyone would wed the staff:" the third woman interjected. "If they've already bedded the staff."

The three women laughed.

Maria's face had gone white. She barely managed to choke out: "Hede, could you…"

Wordlessly, Hede nodded, leading Liesl out the door as inconspicuously as possible. Maria didn't know how much more the ladies were going to talk, or if it would get any worse, but either way she didn't want the teenager to hear it.

In a state of semi-shock she could only sit rigid, trying everything in her limited power to block out the women's voices.

Georg had told her about the gossip that was sure to accompany their engagement, so she'd been expecting it. She'd even had rather a clear idea of what people would be – and apparently were – saying about them. But hearing it was different. The women weren't simply talking about it; they were treating her life as thought it were a joke. But more than that, hearing it made it real.

"My dear are you alright?" Frau Steiner had reappeared to clean up the plates, though half of Maria's strudel was still untouched.

She noticed the ladies on the other side of the room and turned back to Maria. "They're talking about you, aren't they?"

Maria could only give the smallest of nods.

"Come on," the older woman said kindly. "You can go out the back."

She stood, her legs shaky. Frau Steiner motioned to the girl behind the counter, gently put her arm around Maria and led her out of the bakery through the hallway behind the counter. Maria could hear sounds from a room off to the side; Herr Steiner baking, no doubt.

Soon enough they arrived inside the part of the building that served as the Steiner's house. Maria had been here a number of times. When she turned fourteen and ran away from home for the day, she had run here. When she ran away from her uncle's house forever; with her fresh, bleeding scars, she came here. Natascha had cleaned her wounds as best she could, and Maria had left an hour later with a new haircut and the old carpetbag she had to this day.

Natascha had been her only true friend as a child, and excepting the Abbey, this was the closest thing Maria had had to a home, and it was here that she let herself break down.

"H-How could they?" she wept. "I don't care what they say about me. But him…I just can't…they even said he was honourable."

"Is he?"

"Yes," Maria was firm. "Even if I wasn't the governess, he'd never do that to me. Or anyone."

"So that part's true," It wasn't a question, but Maria nodded anyway. "Tell me then, who is your fiancé of yours?"

"Captain von Trapp," sniffled Maria. But she couldn't help giving Frau Steiner a small smile. She was still distressed, but she loved talking about Georg. In spite of the nature of their relationship, she loved him with all her heart, and was proud to be his fiancée.

"The war hero?"

Maria nodded again.

"He loves me," she continued. "And I love him. Very much. That's why we're getting married. Not because…"

"Shhh," Frau Steiner reassured her. "It's alright. Don't listen to them. If they have nothing better to do than spread lies about people behind their backs, they're not worth your effort."

"Thank you," Maria said. She could make it from there.

* * *

"Are you alright Fraulein?" Liesl asked when Maria came round the corner.

"Yes, I'm alright Liesl," she assured the teenager. Her tears all gone, she was doing her best to stay calm and not let her anger get the best of her.

"Do you want to go home?" Hede asked. "I'm sure we can reschedule the appointment. If you need to–"

"No, no, it's fine," Maria knew that there would likely be gossip floating around her for her whole life. It might change after the wedding, but she doubted it would disappear entirely.

"If I'm going to be a Baroness, then I need to act like one," she said confidently. "Some of the time, anyway."

Everyone giggled as they walked off to the couturiers.

* * *

"We'll do the final adjustments for the other girls on Wednesday," Frau Seidel said, pinning up the hem on Liesl's dress.

Maria nodded silently. Now that they were here, she was very nervous about her own gown. Never before had she been the centre of attention in her life, but this dress would cement the fact that in just over a week, she'd be walking down the aisle of the Abbey's cathedral with hundreds of people looking at nothing but her.

Liesl's Maid of Honour dress had a modest neckline, sleeves that went to her elbows and a skirt that ended just above her ankles. Liesl absolutely loved it. The other girls would have similar dresses; all along the same theme, but each slightly different.

Maria didn't know what her dress would look like. But when she finally saw it, she knew she could never have imagined this.

It was made of satin, and depending on the angle, was almost more silver than white. The neckline was high, and it had a fitted bodice and sleeves. The skirt naturally fell to the floor, and the train was long without being excessive. And, as she had requested, it was absent of any frills or lace or other unnecessary embellishments.

It was everything Maria could have asked for, and she felt almost scared to put it on. She simply stood staring at it for what had to be a solid minute, but eventually stepped out of the changing room and onto the raised platform, turning to face her companions; she wasn't ready to look in the mirror just yet.

Liesl's jaw dropped while Hede looked on in awe.

"It's perfect," she whispered. "You look beautiful."

Maria took a deep breath and turned to face the mirror.

The dress had been beautiful hanging inside the changing room. Now, it was more than beautiful.

It was a miracle.

* * *

When the three women walked through the villa's front door, laden with shopping bags, before Maria knew what was happening, a hand had grabbed her wrist. As she was pulled into the room she was able to look back quickly. Liesl was walking up one staircase, headed for her bedroom, and had missed her father pulling her governess away. But Hede, heading up the other staircase simply looked at her with an expression that said: _be quick_.

Georg was kissing her tenderly before she'd registered her surroundings, but, dropping the bags she had been holding, she gave up on that and kissed him back, her arms reaching up around his neck. His lips never left hers and in his arms Maria forgot everything; the anxiousness over shopping, the gossip, even that she needed to call Natascha to invite her to the wedding.

The kisses continued – wilder, more passionate, _more_. When Georg's hand moved from where it rested on her waist and his finger skimmed the area just below her breast, Maria gasped.

He pulled back. "I'm sorry, I –"

"No, it's okay," breathed Maria. "I just wasn't expecting…I-I liked it–"

"We can stop you know," he told her. "If you're not ready I don't want to –"

"Oh, be quiet and let me kiss you," she said. Emboldened by her fiancé's actions, she attacked his mouth with hers, kissing him harder than ever before.

Georg pushed her up against the wall. One hand travelled up to comb through her short blonde hair, while the other gently cupped her breast. This time when Maria gasped it wasn't out of shock, but delight.

"Maria, we need to stop," he murmured through her kisses.

"No, no, please," she panted. They had never kissed like this before. She didn't want it to stop.

They hadn't been alone like this since they got back to the villa, and nothing like this had happened before. When they were together, Georg was comforting her after the wedding preparations had once again become too overwhelming. But now, she didn't have a care in the world. Just his lips on hers.

"If we don't stop now," Georg insisted, pulling back, ending the kiss. "It will only be a matter of minutes before I carry you over to the settee and make love to you."

"Oh."

"Do you want that now?" he asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer. And, sure enough, Maria's mouth opened to form one word: _No._

"Not yet," she admitted softly.

She had asked Hede about what to expect on the wedding night. She understood the mechanics well enough, but she couldn't deny, even to herself that everything else worried her. During the decade Maria had lived with him, her uncle had brought many women to his house, and from the very beginning the sounds had frightened her. And when she worked out what they were, they frightened her even more.

It didn't seem pleasant at all; and while Georg had promised her nothing would happen until she was ready, as a wife, if she only had one duty, this was it; if not on their wedding night then some other time. She had to do it sooner or later, and as much as she was scared, a part of her did actually want to do it.

"It will be fine," Hede had promised. "Georg loves you; he'll want to make the experience as wonderful as possible for you. Trust him and everything will be alright."

Her words had helped somewhat, but she was still scared.

"That's alright. I understand," Georg replied. Then eager to change the subject, he asked: "How was your trip in town?"

Maria's face fell.

"What did you hear?" He knew it wouldn't be anything else.

"They said…" she choked out. There was a lump in her throat, but her cheeks had turned red and blotchy. Her sorrow had taken a backseat to anger. "They said that the only reason we were getting married was because I was –"

Georg sighed.

"They said you were honourable," she fumed. "In the same sentence! Just how…"

"I don't know," he shook his head. He didn't understand how people could be so shallow to have nothing better to do than turn other's lives into abhorrent stories. "But unfortunately, they do."

Pulling her close and kissing the crown of her head, he whispered an apology. "Our family is nobody's business except our own."

Maria nodded. Suddenly, she was grateful that Bastian wasn't the subject of any rumours. While her cousin's adoption meant a short engagement, it seemed that news about him joining the family had not reached the ears of the gossiping socialites.

I suppose it wasn't all bad," she said. She explained to Georg that when she heard the gossip, she was at the bakery.

"Natascha's family owns and operates it. And I wanted to know if I could invite them to the wedding."

"Of course you can," Georg smiled. His fiancée had so few people in the world. Given that he'd never see half the guests again and there were even fewer that he really cared about, he thought that was a brilliant idea. "Remember, you have that power now…" seeing her expression he changed what he was going to say, "…Fraulein."

"Thank you," Maria replied brightly. "I do have to call Natascha though. May I use your telephone? It seems like every time I look in there Lili's using it."

"Ah yes." Even though Maria was technically in charge of all the wedding preparations, knowing as little as she did, she was overseeing things more than actively making arrangements. The housekeeper took care of the details like phoning hotels, booking appointments and so forth.

Georg nodded, before peeking out the door. Finding the foyer completely deserted, he once more grabbed Maria's arm and they both raced across to the other side of the house, toward the study.

* * *

"This room is so beautiful," Maria sighed. "I could stay in here for hours, just finding out what all these books are."

"You're as bad as Brigitta," Georg chided playfully. Maria's head snapped around, but before she could speak he laughed, causing her to start giggling too.

"Unfortunately darling," he continued. "That will have to wait until after we're married. This is where I spend a lot of my time and, well, we aren't supposed to be alone."

"Yes, I suppose so."

She turned her face up and kissed him. It was soft and gentle; they both knew that, despite how much they wanted it, the last thing they needed was to be in the same position as before.

"Now, didn't you have a phone call to make?" Georg murmured against her lips.

Maria look annoyed, but she smiled as she made her way to the desk. Pulling the piece of paper out from the pocket of her dress, she grabbed the receiver and dialled the number.

* * *

When she heard the telephone ring, Natascha Lehmann groaned and called out to her husband.

"Peter, could you answer that? I feel like I'll wet myself if I move again."

He nodded, walking over to the telephone at the front of the house. "Hello," he said into the receiver.

"Hello," the voice on the other end of the line replied. "Is Natascha there? I was wondering if I could speak to her."

"Um…" Peter didn't recognise the woman's voice. It was completely foreign. "May I ask who's calling?"

"I'm an old friend of hers," the woman continued. "Maria."

Peter felt his jaw drop. He wondered for a moment if Maria could hear it through the phone. Natascha had told him so many stories about her childhood friend. The songs they had made up together. How they were ridiculed by every one of their peers for climbing trees, but they did it anyway. The many times they would run off to the mountains to roll in the grass, and end up losing track of time, coming back in the dark, singing all the way.

"You're Maria?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"One moment," he said hurriedly.

"Natascha!" he shouted, running back to his wife, lying on the sofa with one hand on her swollen stomach, and her curly brown hair more frizzy than normal.

"What?" she asked, exhausted and a little annoyed.

"It's Maria."

Hearing those words, Natascha practically jumped up and off the sofa, waddling to the telephone as fast as her pregnant body would allow.

"'Ria?" she picked up the receiver, panting. "Is that really you?"

"Yes Tasch, it's really me."

Natascha could hear the smile through the phone. Even after five years, she would recognise that musical voice anywhere. And nobody had called her Tasch in years. They were the special nicknames only they used with one another.

"I heard you got married," Maria continued before she had a moment to speak. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she replied. She had no idea why Maria was calling her, how she had her telephone number, or knew that she got married. She supposed she could've gone to the bakery, but would the Abbey really allow that? She knew they wouldn't have telephones.

"Why are you calling me?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound condescending.

"Well, um," said Maria. "I'm also getting married. Next week actually, and I was wondering if you –"

That was the last thing Natascha had expected. But she knew her answer immediately.

"Yes," she was almost shouting from excitement. "Oh 'Ria, I'd love to come. Who is the lucky man?"

When, without missing a beat, Maria said: "Georg von Trapp," Natascha was momentarily stunned. Maria getting married was unbelievable, but marrying Georg von Trapp – _Captain_ Georg von Trapp – was something else entirely. She wanted to know everything, but now was not the time, so she simply asked when the wedding was to take place.

"Next Saturday," Maria informed her.

"I will be there, I promise."

Maria thanked her and asked for her address, so she could send an invitation. Natascha could still hear her smiling. "It will be wonderful to see you again."

"You too," she replied. "Oh, and 'Ria? I'm really happy for you."

She hung up the telephone with a smile on her face.

* * *

 **Probably the longest chapter I've ever written. Definitely the raciest. It won't get any racier than this, but let me know if you think I need to bump up the rating.**

 **This chapter (and the last) were my attempt to make up for the engagement fic I wrote very early on in my fanfiction days. I was (and still am) fairly proud of it, but it wasn't really realistic to the time period.**

 **Finally, to the guest Ninigi: Thank you for your reviews thus far. I promise this story will not be abandoned. I have never been more proud of or committed to a story than this one.**


	22. (XXI) With This Ring

Getting the children ready on the morning of the wedding was far harder than Georg had anticipated. They were all so excited that he could barely get them to stay still long enough to eat their breakfast. He'd even let them all stay in their nightclothes. Mostly it was to avoid them ruining their party clothes, but they were so happy that it barely mattered.

Their sadness about Maria being at the Abbey already was eclipsed by the excitement for the wedding. They were bouncing off the walls at the prospect of gaining a new mother and a new brother.

Once Georg was in his bedroom, after he'd finally got them to finish eating and bundled up the stairs to get ready, he felt quite exhausted already. But getting dressed gave him a sense of peace. He hadn't worn his full Navy uniform in years. Not since Agathe's funeral. He hadn't imagined he'd ever wear it again. But his joy at wearing it was nothing compared to what it meant. Today he would be marrying Maria.

Putting it on now made it all the more real.

By the end of the day he would no longer be a widower, his children would have a mother and the household that had been distant and broken for so long would once again become a family.

After he had finished arranging the Maria-Theresian cross around his neck, he looked in the mirror one last time. Though he was buoyed by his reflection, it felt somewhat unfamiliar. But before he could dwell on that, Gretl barged through the door, dressed in her white flower girl dress, more excited than she'd been all morning.

"Don't I look pretty Father?" she cried, twirling around.

"Yes," he replied, leaning down and kissing her head.

"You look beautiful Father," she said.

"Thank you _schatzi_ ," he smiled. Gretl wouldn't have any memory of him in his uniform, being barely one month old when Agathe passed. He was pleased she had the opportunity to see him wearing it now. Once again, Maria's doing.

He took his daughter's hand and walked with her to the top of the stairs. The other seven children, along with his sister and Max, were waiting in the foyer, eager smiles on all of their faces.

Georg smiled at them as more comments about beautiful everyone looked were made. Once that had finally finished, he took the lead and they all began walking out the door.

It was time.

* * *

For Maria, spending the entire day in addition to the night before her wedding was a much more trying experience than she'd expected. The absence of Georg and the children was far more obvious now that she had no wedding plans to distract herself from the myriad thoughts running around in her brain.

She had no doubts about it; she had found her place in the world, the life she was born to live. She loved her Captain and the children more than she'd loved anyone before. She was very excited about getting married. But as for the wedding itself, she couldn't deny she was scared.

Maria already knew it would be harder than simply walking up an aisle. What if she tripped on her dress or fainted or froze with fear halfway to the altar? She couldn't decide which scenario was worse.

The same thoughts bounced around her mind at night too, so she barely slept. She'd probably look dead on her feet as she walked down the aisle tomorrow.

Tomorrow…

Tomorrow she would be getting married.

Tomorrow she would be getting married!

Tomorrow became today soon enough, despite how little she slept. After a small breakfast she'd had to force herself to eat, the nuns whisked Maria away to get ready. She felt even more nervous about putting her dress on than she had at the couturiers. Today it was real.

By the end of the day she would be Baroness von Trapp. She was overjoyed at the prospect, but also a little worried. The title she would soon hold was something she could definitely do without, but it was a small price to pay for finally becoming Georg's wife and mother to his children.

After she was dressed, the nuns left her alone for a moment, and Maria dared to glance at herself in the handheld mirror. The face she saw was that of a woman; the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen. She had not a hair out of place, a calm, composed face and the stature of a queen.

So different from the girl with mussed, messy hair, dirt stained cheeks and a huge childish grin.

She did not know herself.

There was a knock on the door and the woman in the mirror let out a deep breath.

It was time.

* * *

Although he didn't let it show, Georg was nervous. She was missing. He knew she would be here soon, but until then he would feel alone despite being surrounded by people.

He was so very happy to be marrying his Fraulein, but standing up in a huge cathedral full of more people he didn't care about than those he did was just a pain; another thorn in his side reminding him how much he loathed the superficiality that came along with his station. He'd done this before when he married Agathe, and it hadn't been any better then. Knowing that Maria felt exactly the same way just made it seem even more unnecessary. But once again he had to hide it. God forbid someone discovered that Captain Georg Ritter von Trapp did not like lavish parties.

And then there was his uniform. He was proud to wear it again, after not wearing in for years; proud to display his loyalty to Austria. But as he stood completely still in a huge stone building, he couldn't deny that after a while it became rather uncomfortable.

Yet another thing making him wish he'd eloped.

But then the music started, stilling his inner monologue. He forgot about everything, his mind going blank when he saw Maria walk through the gates.

'Angel,' he thought.

She looked a vision, standing there at the gate like some heavenly being in the most beautiful dress he'd ever seen her wear; a white satin gown that was befitting of both her personality and new station as Baroness.

He didn't want to play favourites but right now, she was a more beautiful bride than Agathe. Looking at her now he thought he might love her more than he ever had before. She had picked up the pieces of his shattered life and put it back together for him. He was so grateful that she loved him back, for he still didn't know what he'd done to deserve her.

He barely heard the singing of the choir. He didn't remember that Max was standing beside him. He barely saw his daughters walking towards him, or the rest of his children standing at the pew. He didn't see the boy leading his bride down the aisle. He only saw her.

His Maria.

She made her way up to him in what seemed like forever and only a second at the same time, and when he reached out to take her hand, he felt his future in his arms. Suddenly it didn't matter that they were in a huge cathedral with hundreds of people in attendance, both dressed to the nines.

The only important thing was that they were getting married.

* * *

Walking through the gate, Maria smiled at the four people waiting, all smiling back at her. Liesl handed her a bouquet before adjusting her train. Maria inhaled the sweet scent of white tulips and edelweiss and already felt calmer. As she looked back at the nuns – her only family for a long time – her Maid of Honour gently nudged the little ones to begin their walk down the aisle.

Looking back, Maria returned the small smile she gave her before she started to walk down the aisle herself.

Only Bastian was left. He walked over, took her hand and started to lead her down the aisle. She felt comforted, grounded, by her cousin's presence. All she could feel was his hand in hers, and all she could see was Georg, waiting for her at the top of the stairs. She desperately wanted to run to him, but she kept her steps slow, concentrating on making her way up the aisle as slowly and gracefully as she possibly could.

She couldn't see them, but she knew Hede was there in the crowd, and Natascha, with her six-month pregnant belly, her husband, and her parents. She didn't see Liesl, or Marta and Gretl in front of her. She didn't even see her cousin walking beside her.

She just looked straight ahead. She was barely aware of Max and the other children standing off to Georg's left; but her eyes were solely focused on him. Her Captain, leading her straight to port. Leading her to her home, her life, her everything.

When they had climbed the stairs, Bastian moved to stand with the other children. Maria took Georg's hand and forgot how scared she had been; that she had even been scared to begin with.

They knelt for a moment along with Liesl and Max in front of the bishop. Standing, Maria handed Liesl her bouquet and once again took Georg's hand. They knelt once more while the bishop made the sign of the cross. When they stood up, blue met blue as they found themselves staring into each other's eyes.

The bishop began to speak: "Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony."

Everyone and everything was silent, as if the entire cathedral was holding its breath.

"Georg von Trapp," he continued. "You are here today to marry this woman in front of God. Do you promise to be faithful to your wife, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do you part?"

"I do." Georg answered solemnly. He'd made such a promise twenty years ago. In that time he'd had some of the best moments of his entire life; moments he wanted to remember for the rest of his days. And some of the worst; memories he'd spent the last five years trying to forget.

He had no reservations about promising himself to the woman by side; the woman who had helped him come to terms with his grief.

The bishop repeated the vow to Maria, who replied in kind:

"I do."

With that Georg took the ring from the bishop, and slipped it onto her finger, smiling as he did so. It felt both cool and warm against her skin. As Maria picked up its mate and slipped it onto his finger, she couldn't stop a sigh escaping from her lips.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Then Georg stepped towards Maria and brushed his lips against hers. She relished in the kiss, possibly the gentlest one they had ever shared. It took everything in her power to refrain from throwing her arms around his neck.

It was the most wonderful, the most perfect thing she'd ever experienced.

"May this couple, joined today before God, never be parted."

* * *

As soon as they left the cathedral the rest of the day turned into a blur for Maria, and before she knew it she was on a train bound for Paris.

She could still feel Georg's touch, which had been present ever since he had taken her hand at the top of the stairs; but she had very little memory of individual moments. She remembered that at the reception she had danced with her husband – she wasn't used to that yet – saw Natascha for the first time in five years and met her husband. She had kissed each of the children goodbye, promising to write and call them as often as she could, but nothing else.

She could hardly believe it: six weeks in the city of love with Georg. She'd never been out of Austria before and now she was going to Paris. On her honeymoon. With Captain von Trapp.

* * *

Georg couldn't wait for the moment when he could get his bride alone. During the ceremony the only thing that had existed was Maria. But as soon as they had walked out of the cathedral, there seemed to be people everywhere. The congratulations were coming at him so fast that he couldn't process them all. In the few seconds between them, the children were trailing after them, all clamouring for the chance to see their new mother.

Finally, when all the speeches and toasts at the reception were finished, the photographs back at the villa taken, the goodbyes to the children said, he was leading his bride onto the train, which would take them both to the rest of their lives.

* * *

 **Yay, wedding time. I've seen some versions, along with some non-TSOM adaptations where the boys walk Maria down the aisle, so I thought it would be nice to have Bastian do it here. Also with the exception of a few minor tweaks, the dialogue at the wedding is taken from the _Trapp Family Story_ Anime (Episode 32).**

 **There's still more to come. Stay tuned**


	23. (XXII) Through Your Eyes

Maria woke up alone the next morning. Yesterday they arrived in Paris, and she had been in raptures before they'd even left the train station. But the thing she was most happy and excited about was the fact that she and Georg had over a month alone together.

Her eyes scanned the suite before spotting Georg out on the balcony, looking out over the vista of the city. A moment later, as if he felt her eyes on him, he turned around and, smiling at her, walked back into the bedroom.

Kneeling beside the bed, he stroked her soft hair.

"Good morning darling," he murmured. "How do you feel?"

"Wonderful," she answered. "Loved, cherished…beautiful."

"Ah yes," he mused. "You said that last night."

During the engagement Georg had called her beautiful many times, and although Maria loved it, because of her past she had trouble truly believing it. Georg had asked her to tell him when she did believe him. And last night, for the first time, she did.

"What was it that told you?" continued Georg.

"You," she murmured. "Last night, when you made love to me, for a moment it was as though I could see myself through your eyes. And in your eyes, I was beautiful."

The night before was beyond anything Maria could possibly have imagined. Making love with Georg was nothing like what she'd overheard at her uncle's all those years ago, and even Hede's comforting assurances could not have prepared her. Her Captain had been so patient and tender with her, gently guiding her, telling her what to do until finally they reached a state of unparalleled bliss.

And when it was over, connected in the purest way possible, Maria finally knew the depth of Georg's love for her, and had whispered a simple 'I believe' as they drifted off to sleep.

"Are, my love," corrected Georg. "You _are_ beautiful. And you always will be."

He kissed her nose and she smiled back at him.

"What are we going to do today, Captain?" The heavy rain from yesterday had let up bringing a morning filled with sunshine and a cloudless blue sky.

"Well," Georg said, moving to sit on the bed by his bride. "I thought you might like to see the city; The Eiffel Tower, the Lourve, Notre Dame and so forth."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," sighed Maria. She had only heard about those places in books; seeing them in person was something she had never dared to dream about.

But before moved to leave the bed, she noticed her nightgown and peignoir thrown carelessly onto the glory box and that her husband was wearing nothing but a robe. The feeling that had taken over her last night appeared once again.

"But first, could we…?

Georg just smiled as he pulled his robe off and climbed into the bed beside her.

* * *

An hour later, they were entering the Lourve. It had not been a particularly quick journey to the museum; after they'd left the hotel, Maria stopped every few moments to gasp at something.

Georg could not care less. Seeing Paris meant little to him; he'd done that before. He cared much more about his wife seeing the city. Seeing it through her eyes, it was like he was visiting it for the first time.

Once again Maria wanted to stop every couple of seconds. Almost everything caught her attention as soon as she saw it: _Venus de Milo_ , _The Turkish Bath_ , and of course the world-famous _Mona Lisa._

"These paintings are all so gorgeous," she breathed as they walked through the halls. "The women look so beautiful."

"Mm-hmm," murmured Georg noncommittally.

"You don't think so?"

"I think the woman standing beside me is far more beautiful," he replied.

Maria just blushed.

* * *

After the Lourve, they took a light lunch before Georg whisked his wife in the direction of Notre-Dame de Paris. Maria vowed she had never seen a more beautiful cathedral before in her life. When they were finished there, they visited the Champ de Mars to see La Tour Eiffel. Maria was more overwhelmed than she had been all day, and when they were standing at the top of France's most famous landmark, looking out over the city, she couldn't believe she had such a wonderful husband; such a wonderful life.

How lucky could a girl get?

Late in the afternoon, they came to the Palais Garnier. Maria's eyes were wide with wonder at the sight of the beautiful old opera house.

"They say that a deformed man lived here once," Georg told her as they looked up at the building. "A musical genius who fell in love with a beautiful young singer. And when she didn't love him back, he died."

"That sounds terribly tragic," Maria replied, before raising an eyebrow. Georg could tell she didn't believe him. "Is that actually true?

"No," he laughed. "It's just a story."

"Well it's a little ridiculous." Maria admitted.

"As ridiculous as a young woman leaving the convent to marry her employer, who has seven children of his own, no?"

"Why you," she retorted good-naturedly. But she couldn't deny he was right. When you put it that way, her life since summer started seemed like something out of a story.

"Well, let's pray that story never gets out," she added. **"** They'd probably rename all the children."

* * *

"I feel like I've been in love with you my whole life," Maria whispered to Georg as they lay in bed that night, revelling in the afterglow of their lovemaking. "And I just didn't realise until I had run away. Does that make sense?"

She'd wanted to be a nun for so long that she didn't stop to consider if it was really God's plan for her. When she had finally discovered that His Will was that she be Georg's wife and mother to their children, everything had fallen into place, beginning anew. In a way it felt like her life had truly begun when she arrived at the von Trapp villa.

"I think so," He drew closer and cupped her cheek. Looking deep into her eyes, he said sincerely: "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me Maria."

"B-But you've been married before?"

"Ah yes," he said. "Agathe. I loved her with all my heart. I still love her. We made wonderful memories and she gave me seven of the most precious gifts anyone can give to another person. But after she died, I wanted nothing to with any of it. Any of them. But then you came, my darling. Since that day by the lake, I have cherished them more than ever; because you showed me how close I came to losing them forever."

Maria felt humbled at her Captain's admission. He had told her multiple times she was not a replacement for Agathe, that he loved her just as much as he had her. Differently, because he was now older and wiser, but no less. But to be the best thing that had ever happened to him…she couldn't believe a worldly man such as Georg would see her as the best thing in his life period. Especially when she had done so much for his children, fighting for them and winning them over long before she won his love.

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

They were eating in a small quaint café one day, and both reached for the pitcher of water at the same time, their hands brushing against each other's as they did so.

"Oh," said Maria, with a small smile. "That hasn't happened since…"

"Since when, darling?"

"Since we were practising the puppet show that day," It seemed like another lifetime. "You were showing me how to work the marionettes…and your hand accidently bumped mine."

She still remembered what it had felt like that day. After the shock of his hand touching hers had faded, it had felt warm and pleasant, and the feeling she now knew to be the tingle she got whenever Georg touched her had stayed with her the entire day.

"But it didn't," replied Georg.

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't an accident," he clarified. "I reached out and touched your hand."

"Y-You did?"

"Yes," he whispered. "I knew it was inappropriate. We were nothing but friends and you were still going to be a nun, but…you were so desirable. I just wanted to touch you, even if it was only for a moment."

Maria gasped in surprise.

"I think I've been in love with you longer than even I realised."

* * *

The first couple of weeks of the honeymoon passed in a blur for both the bride and the groom. Every night was spent in each other's arms, making love or simply talking to each other. When they didn't stay in the hotel all day, they explored the city; everything from museums, to monuments, to parks. The memory of his beautiful, brilliant wife twirling around in the gardens of Jardin de Luxembourg, like she had done so many times before on her mountain, was something Georg would not soon forget.

The children wrote them letters almost every day, which they responded to immediately. They also tried to telephone the villa every chance they got, though many times the telephone was out of order and it was a futile endeavour.

In addition much of their shopping consisted of presents and souvenirs. Maria detested shopping almost as much as Georg did, so they spent more time choosing special gifts for each of the children: books for Brigitta and Bastian, dolls and stuffed animals for the little ones, dresses for Liesl, model planes or balls for the boys, and a violin for Louisa. She had expressed interest in learning the instrument her mother used to play.

* * *

It wasn't always perfect though. In addition to the growing political problems, there still seemed to be gossip and rumours surrounding them, just as Maria had predicted. More than once she had noticed people; Parisians and tourists alike, staring at her and Georg. She didn't know why they were staring, or if they were saying anything, but she was becoming very self-conscious.

"I know it's silly," she sniffled, one day once they were back in their suite. "But I –"

"Is it making you sad?" interrupted Georg, holding her close, as he stroked her hair and rubbed comforting circles on her back.

She nodded.

"Then it's not silly," he insisted. "Would talking about something else take your mind off it?"

Maria nodded again, but before either spoke, she noticed her husband looking out, past the balcony, to the skyline beyond, a contemplative look on his face. It suddenly made her forget how sad she'd been, and all she wanted to do was comfort Georg, just as he had comforted her so many times before.

"If it's making you sad it's not silly," said Maria, echoing the words he had said to her not a minute ago. "Talk to me Georg. Please."

"I'm worried," he admitted with a sigh. "Worried about…"

"The Anschluss?" she supplied.

"Yes," he said solemnly. "It's not a matter of if. It's matter of when. I put my life on the line for Austria. I hate to see her crumbling in front of my eyes, but it's already happening."

Maria had never seen her husband so vulnerable before. He always hid his feelings, even from her, but when he let his mask fall, he was just as human as anyone else. Far from the stern and imposing Naval Commander she had thought him to be the day they first met.

"I know much less about these things than you do," she admitted, wrapping her arms around his middle. "But I trust you. Whatever happens Georg, I'll be there for you. I'm with you."

"Thank you love," he whispered, turning around to cup her face in his hands. He kissed her deeply.

For a long moment neither spoke. They both knew the subject of the impending Anschluss had worn out its welcome for tonight, but they didn't know what to talk about next. Finally, Maria broke the silence.

"Will you tell me about Agathe?"

"Of course," nodded Georg, the smile returning to his face.

He told Maria about their first meeting, back when she was only a child and he had barely entered adulthood. He told her of their courtship, engagement and marriage; as soon as possible once the war had ended. He told her of their honeymoon in Great Britain, their first anniversary here in Paris.

He told her Agathe loved music just as much as she did, and how wonderfully she played the violin. How devoted she had been to the children. How Liesl had her eyes and Louisa her hair. That one time when she had fallen out of the boat while they were out for a row on the lake.

"And you were cross at me?" Maria gasped in mock outrage.

"The children weren't onboard that time, darling. Brigitta, Marta and Gretl weren't even born yet," he smirked. "Besides Agathe didn't knock the boat over, she just fell out of it."

They both laughed.

It was not as hard or painful as he had expected to talk to his second wife about his first. For the first time in a long, long time, he wanted to share his memories of her. Especially with Maria.

"She would've loved you," he finished. "And I know she approves. The night she died, she told me I needed to marry again, not only for the children, but for me. 'She's out there somewhere' she said."

"I'm honoured," Maria whispered, cupping his cheek, "to be your wife."


	24. (XXIII) Letters

The next night when Georg and Maria arrived back at the hotel after dining at a small restaurant called Chez Luis, their failed attempt to telephone the villa that morning was eased when they received a couple of letters from the front desk.

One was the expected letter from the children, but Maria was pleased unexpectedly when she discovered the other was from Natascha. She hadn't expected to get a letter from her this soon, especially while she was here in Paris.

Once they were back in the suite, she plopped herself down in one of the many squashy armchairs and began to read.

* * *

 _Dear 'Ria,_

 _It was wonderful to see you again. I'm so glad you invited me to the wedding, and I am so very happy for you. And, given where this letter is going, I see you're in Paris. How romantic!_

 _As you know, Peter and I are expecting our first child in a couple months time. I'm rather nervous about becoming a mother, but so very, very excited. We've decided on the names Rupert for a boy, after my father, and Rafaela for a girl, after Peter's mother._

 _I wanted to ask to you if you'd be the child's godmother. Despite the lack of contact between us over the last few years, you are still my best friend in the world. There is no one I would rather be godmother to my children than you._

 _I hope you enjoy Paris. And I hope we can talk more than we have in the past few years, regardless of what happens in the future._

 _Love,_

 _Tasch_

* * *

Maria was tearing up by the time she'd finished the letter. She was touched by Natascha's request. Inviting her to the wedding after not seeing her for the better part of five years had made Maria realise that no matter what either of them went through in the future, she wanted to do her best to keep in touch with her friend. She was glad Natascha felt the same way.

"Are you alright?" asked her husband.

"She wants me to be the godmother of her child," she told him, a lump in her throat.

"That's fantastic," Georg said with a smile as he settled himself in the chair next to her. Then, aware of her silence, he added: "Isn't it?"

"Yes of course," she replied. "I'm honoured. I just…It just came as a surprise, that's all."

"You will be a wonderful godmother," Georg said, leaning down to kiss her. "Just like how you are a wonderful mother."

Even now, several months after he'd found her snooping in his ballroom, Georg still marvelled at how amazing – how natural – his wife was with children. Her love for their children was definitely one of his favourite things about her. If she hadn't loved them so much, he might never have fallen in love with her.

Maria simply whispered: "Thank you darling."

He sat down in the armchair next to hers, and together, they started to read the next letter…

* * *

 _The letters Maria and Georg sent the children hadn't been enough to erase the absence of their father and new mother from their minds. It hadn't even been a week before the little ones began to complain. Granted, it wasn't anything like the week Maria and Bastian were gone, and it was much longer than Max had thought; but not as long as he had hoped._

 _He wanted nothing more than to lounge around for hours on end, and enjoy the fact that he no longer had to chaperone anyone, by drinking the excellent wine from Georg's cellar and generally getting lost in his wealthy domain._

 _He had played a game of Blind Man's Bluff with the children once. And he always took notice when they were singing. He thought about taking them to perform for the committee for the festival. He might get the good festival concert he wanted after all._

* * *

 _He came out to the terrace for tea one afternoon. Hede was sitting at the table, drinking a glass of pink lemonade as she watched the children playing down in the gardens._

 _'Yes', he thought as he poured himself a glass. 'I will take them to sing for the committee.' Maybe he was going behind Georg's back a little, but with a recommendation like that his friend might just be swayed._

 _Presently they all came up to the terrace and sat down. They weren't sad per se, but they definitely weren't happy._

 _"I miss Fraulein Maria," Gretl sighed._

 _"She's Mother now Gretl," Louisa corrected her sister. "And we got a letter from her and Father the other day."_

 _"She promised us she'd call," complained the five year old. "She promised, and they've only called once."_

 _"There could be trouble with the telephone," Brigitta said logically._

 _"Why couldn't we go with them on the honeymoon?" Marta asked softly_

 _"Because honeymoons are just for the grown-ups," Hede gently told her niece. "They do lots of grown-up things that children can't do. If you were there you'd probably be bored."_

 _Max tried to contain his snort of laughter._

 _"What kind of things?"_

 _"They sleep in the same bed together," Kurt answered with a laugh._

 _"I've been in bed with Fraulein Maria before," insisted Marta. "That night when we sang about our favourite things. And Father told me when I was very little I sometimes crawled into bed with him and Mama."_

 _The seven year old sighed. "I don't remember that though."_

 _"They'll be back soon enough," Bastian assured her. "Right?" He looked at his new siblings. Liesl and Friedrich nodded._

 _"And when they do," he continued, "we'll forget that we were lonely without them."_

 _"Yes," Friedrich assented. "Just like we all forgot how lonely the house had been when we saw Fraul- Mother in Vienna."_

* * *

 _Friedrich and Kurt were almost as excited about having another boy in the family as Bastian was about having a family. Having grown up with no siblings, finding a new home with such a wonderful family so soon after his mother had died had helped him tremendously with his grief. And having so few boys in the family did have its advantages. In a certain way, Bastian felt closer to his new brothers than he did with his sisters._

 _It had only been last night when they had been laughing as they looked over a family photo album. Father had looked so funny when he was their age. Not having him around also meant they could rebellious and not feel nearly as guilty as they would otherwise._

 _Had Hede not come to say goodnight to them, they probably would've stayed there all night._

 _"Come on boys. It's time to go to sleep," she said, making the boys groan._

 _You know," she continued. "After I've gone, you can do this every night. Your Uncle Max won't notice this at all."_

 _Everybody laughed._

 _"Now," Hede added, cocking her head. "Bed."_

 _"Yes Tante Hede," they chorused, before settling into their respective beds._

 _It hadn't been hard to set up Bastian in the same room as Friedrich and Kurt. There was more than enough space for another bed on the other side of the room, and the Captain hadn't batted an eye at purchasing a new closet that was big enough for the three of them._

* * *

 _Hede returned to Vienna after two weeks. Max made a big dramatic show of being miserable about it, sending all eight children, along with their aunt, into hysterics._

 _The children started back at school, bringing a distraction from, and simultaneously, a decrease in their sadness about their parents, but an increase in the letters they sent to them. There were so many new things they wanted to tell them._

 _Marta was adjusting nicely, and Liesl was always ready to help in any way she could. Louisa was just as competent as her brothers, both inside and outside the classroom. Brigitta had been moved up to the advanced class, and it looked like Bastian wasn't far behind. Gretl was sad she only had half-days, while Kurt was complaining that the return home for lunch didn't come soon enough._

* * *

 _I got full marks on my latest test," Gretl announced to her siblings when they arrived back one afternoon. She waved a piece of paper at them. "I can't wait to show Father and Fraulein Maria._

 _"MOTHER!" they shouted back._

 _"You did very well," Max smiled, patting the girl's head. "They'll be very proud of you."_

 _He looked around the room. These children, Georg, and now Maria and Bastian, were the closest thing he had to a family. He didn't let it show often enough, but these people meant more to him than any amount of money._

 _"They will be proud of all of you."_

* * *

The honeymoon progressed. The letters from the children continued, as did their replies. The fate of their beloved Austria was always present, but most of the time their love and their surroundings were enough to keep it at bay.

They were swept up in the sights of the city; they visited the Arc de Triomphe, walked by the Seine in the sunshine, saw concerts that captivated Maria, even though she couldn't understand a word.

They went up to Lyon for a few days, staying with an old friend of Georg's. Nikolas had married a French woman, and he and Gabrielle had three children of their own. Maria bonded with Rudy, Danielle and Michel as quickly as she had bonded with the von Trapp children; teaching them songs and playing with them just as if they were her children and not people she had know for less than a week.

As sad as they were to leave – a sadness their hosts shared – Maria and Georg were both looking forward to being by themselves on their honeymoon once more.

"It'll be nice to get back to the hotel," Maria mused as their train pulled away from the station.

"Um, yes, I suppose so," Georg sounded flustered. "But we mightn't be back there for another few days."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you…" replied Georg, "…to the sea."


	25. (XXIV) The Calm Before the Storm

When they arrived in Marseille the next day, both husband and wife forgot how tired the journey had made them as they both drank in the majesty of the town; Georg once again seeing his surroundings anew through Maria's eyes.

She however, did not notice Georg looking at her all; much less _how_ he was looking at her. The Seine hadn't been nearly as amazing as this, and before that the only bodies of water Maria had seen were the lake by the villa and the small, laughing brook up on her mountain.

"It's so, so…" she couldn't even finish the sentence, so she started another: "Were you stationed here?"

"During the war?" he smiled at her. "No. My command was in the Adriatic. But I've been here a few times before. It's my favourite seaside town in France."

She inhaled the salty sea air, and looked over at Georg. She could see why her husband loved this so much. He was completely in his element.

Now he looked like a sea captain.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

* * *

They had lunch at a small café, looking out over the shining blue of the Mediterranean Sea. Maria's awe grew the longer she looked at it.

He told her they were going swimming, and Maria's desire to enter the water beat out her nerves. He bought her a bathing suit; her first bathing suit, and the first thing they'd bought for her since the beautiful golden-rod suit he'd bought her a couple weeks back. After she'd dressed and they were down on the beach, she shot off into the sea like a rocket, only to remember a few moments later that this was not the lake back home. But before she could move – either forward or backward – Georg had picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

She batted playfully at his back as he spun them both around, eventually landing them both in the water. A moment later she popped up, and both she and Georg laughed.

Georg relished every second of it. His regular morning swims in the lake were enjoyable, but there was something about the sea; it called to him in a way nothing else ever had. He was pleased to see Maria enjoying it as they continued to swim around together. When they at last emerged from the water, Georg laid his wife down on the soft sand and kissed her deeply. When he pulled back, his eyes told Maria exactly what he wanted.

"Here?" she asked, wide-eyed. "What if somebody sees us?"

"There's no one around, darling," he assured her.

Slowly, she nodded. Despite her nerves, she had come to enjoy doing something a little different during their intimate moments. And so, right there on the sand with only the sea and the sun in the sky watching, they became one.

* * *

That night, after he'd finished readying himself for bed, Georg, dressed in nothing but his robe, opened the bathroom door to find his wife lying on the bed. When she saw him she turned her head to look at him, smiled, and said one word:

"Hello."

Georg was momentarily speechless. There she lay, completely naked, so he was able to see every inch of her, and was reminded once again how beautiful his wife was. The fact that she wasn't dressed didn't really surprise him. Their nightclothes ended up tossed on the floor most nights. But she was lying on top of the sheets. For the entirety of their first week in Paris she had hidden under them whenever they weren't making love.

But as the honeymoon progressed she had gained confidence not only in the physical side of their love, but also her own body. Gone was his innocent, virginal bride. In her place lay a woman who had no reservations about displaying the body God had blessed her with.

He drank in the sight of her; all the way from her toes to her shoulders; finally resting on her beautiful face, with those blue, blue eyes and pink lips.

She was perfect. And she was his.

She smiled at him and by the time he'd reached the bed he had discarded his robe, and he fell into her waiting arms. They made love once more, and Georg's last coherent thought before he entered complete bliss was: 'How does she do it?'

* * *

"You were very bold tonight Baroness," Georg mused as they lay together afterwards. Maria made a face at her husband's comment, but didn't say anything about it.

"I suppose, just…after today, even though nobody saw us, I just…realised that I don't have anything to hide."

"No. You don't," agreed Georg. "You are beautiful."

"I know," she whispered, snuggling closer to her Captain. "Every time we make love you show me how beautiful I am."

Neither felt the need to pull the covers up as they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Then the bad news came.

They hadn't been back from Marseille for even a week before the headlines bore the news that Chancellor Schuschnigg had yielded to the Nazis and now Austria was under their control.

They ordered breakfast, but Georg didn't touch his coffee. He was silent. Too silent. Almost catatonic. Not angry, not sad. He showed no emotion whatsoever.

"What do you want me to do?" Maria asked quietly. "How can I help?"

"I just – I need to –"

"Of course."

Knowing her husband needed to be alone, she returned to the bedroom and sat down on the bed.

She didn't have a book to read; they hadn't brought any along, and she didn't dare pick up the newspaper. Irrespective of the horrendous news, she knew she wouldn't be able to understand it. Georg had taught her a little French, but none of that would help in this situation. Besides, she only knew how to say the words; she had no idea how they were spelled.

Things had changed since the wedding. In many ways, Maria felt like a different person. The Maria of today no longer cried out at everything that caught her interest, or ran around, desperate to get to her destination as quickly as possible.

But silence and inactivity still made her restless.

So she started to pack. She put all but a couple of dresses and suits into her bags, and her toiletries were quickly packed away in their cases, ready to be taken at a moment's notice.

She did the same for her husband, leaving only the barest of necessities in case they wouldn't be leaving immediately. After a while she saw him walk across the room and leave the suite. He didn't notice her.

When he returned and entered the bedroom his mouth opened slightly as he saw what she'd done.

"You're welcome," she whispered before he could say anything.

"The earliest tickets I could get are on Tuesday night," he said by way of an answer. His face didn't change as he looked at her and continued:

"I'm so, so, so –"

"Don't you dare tell me you're sorry," she interrupted, her voice sharp.

"But –"

"But nothing Georg," she walked over to stand beside him. "You've given me more than I could've asked for these past five weeks. More than I could have possibly imagined. I don't want it to end either. But our family, our country, is more important."

"You don't deserve this though," he told her, his face forlorn; the most emotion he'd shown all day.

"And you do?" she shot back. "Nobody deserves this."

"You know what they'll ask me to do," he said. It wasn't a question. "You know what that will mean."

She nodded solemnly.

"I won't – can't – do it," he said resolutely. "But I'll be a traitor."

She kissed his cheek. "You can never be a traitor for doing what's right."

* * *

They still spent their nights in each other's arms, but, after that day, they barely made love. Often they just sat in silence, each seeking the other's comfort.

Maria had known Georg to be a silent, stoic man long before she married him. But now that there was no Austria anymore, his composure was crumbling just like his homeland. When he wasn't completely vulnerable before her eyes, he was silent and distant. But even then, the mask he'd always worn was gone.

She couldn't blame him. Despite his continued comments that she had changed everything – saved him – he had still lost so much. Her losses had come so early in her life that she didn't remember most of them.

They spent the entirety of Tuesday at the hotel, once more seeking silent comfort from each other. Everything was packed away and ready that morning, even though they wouldn't catch the train until that evening.

Night arrived, and as they left their suite, left their honeymoon behind for the last time, Maria paused.

She knew Georg could see it too. The differences. She was now more self-assured and more mature; older and wiser. Her outward appearance now matched the person she was inside; her fine clothes befit her statuses: wife, mother, Baroness.

And yet, she wasn't unrecognisable. Her vivacity was still there, her natural curiosity still present, her gentle kindness still visible.

But, in ways that couldn't really be explained, she had changed. A month ago, a girl had walked into this suite. Today, a woman walked out.

* * *

Wednesday morning, their train pulled into the station at Aigen. Flags emblazoned with the swastika hung everywhere they looked.

The sight made Maria uneasy, but Georg was furious, and it took every ounce of his self-restraint to keep from lashing out somehow. But somewhere in the back of his mind he felt guilty about the affect this would have on his wife, even though she insisted none of it mattered. She'd either interrupted or shot him down every time he'd attempted to apologise.

When they pulled up into the driveway they were both speechless, struck dumb at what they saw. The flags around town were insignificant compared to the giant one hanging over their front door: the flag of the Third Reich; an ugly black spider on display to anyone who walked by.

Georg couldn't stand it.

"Georg, please," begged Maria. Franz had disappeared inside with their luggage and they were alone. "I know how much you're against all of this, but try not to let it get you down too much. At least right now."

He let out a sigh. "If it were only that simple. This isn't just a flag." He grabbed the corner of the flag, but didn't pull it down. "It has happened. The Nazis could be looking to me to serve any day now. And the less time we have, the harder it will be for us to escape."

But he still marvelled at Maria's words. The world had turned upside down, but she could still see the positives in these darkest of time.

His nightmares had come true. He knew the Nazis were responsible, knew his wife felt the same way, knew time was running out for them to get out alive, while keeping their values intact; but he couldn't stop himself from scooping Maria up in his arms and carrying her across the threshold. Letting her down gently at the top of the stairs, he kissed her temple and whispered: "Welcome home, Baroness von Trapp."

* * *

 **Hello! I'm back. I hope you enjoyed. I'm sorry it took me a little longer to get this up than it has recently; I have been a bit preoccupied. I started my own YouTube channel, to talk about all things TSOM, Julie, and musicals in general. If you want to look it up, it's _The Sound of Georgia._**


	26. (XXV) Reunion

Everything was quiet as they walked across the foyer. The children weren't around, Max wasn't around, and there were no staff members to be seen.

It was only then that he noticed. The Austrian flag – the polar opposite of the flag hanging just outside the door, pure where the other was sinister – was hanging from the mezzanine. Just like at the party another lifetime ago.

Another country ago.

Almost in a trance, Georg walked over and stared at it; wistful, furious, heartbroken, all at once. They had ordered him to put the other flag up; they'd order him to take this one down.

"I don't know –"

"Then don't say anything," whispered Maria, placing a finger to his lips. He hadn't noticed she had joined him until he'd turned around.

"I promise you," she continued. "I'm here for you. And together, we'll be able to get through this."

"Thank you _liebling_ ," he murmured, taking her cheek in his hand. When he couldn't think of anything else to say he simply drew her closer to him, seeking comfort in her arms.

* * *

Georg didn't look at the flag as he pulled it down from where it hung over the doorway. He knew what he'd see. The colours that fell on top of each other. The scribbled signature black, onto the blinding global white, onto the thick soupy red.*

He tried to channel his anger at this new world – this crazy planet full of crazy people – as he tore the flag in half, but the sight of his children for the first time in over a month as Max drove through the gates helped far more than destroying a piece of cloth.

He open the car door almost as soon as Max had brought the vehicle to a stop, and all eight children practically leapt out of the car and raced straight towards their father, greetings and shouts of happiness flying everywhere.

Georg couldn't say it to any one of them, so he addressed them all at once: "Hello, hello, hello."

"Did you bring us any souvenirs from Paris?" Kurt shouted. Georg ruffled his son's hair.

Maria walked out to see everyone. "Hello. How are you?"

"Why didn't you telephone us?" Friedrich asked her, but there was no trace of hurt in his voice.

Georg barely heard her answer as he wordlessly asked his friend about the shredded fabric in his hands.

"I had nothing to do with that, Georg," Max assured him as Georg tossed the torn shreds of the flag into the back seat of the car.

"We came back as fast as we could," he replied. He patted Max's shoulder before turning back to the children.

"Well, well, well, we missed you!" He tickled Gretl's tummy and swept Marta up in his arms, spinning her around.

At the children's jumbled requests, he and Maria rattled off a list of things they had missed during the honeymoon. Kissing them goodnight. The noises they made in the morning as the told each other to be quiet. Hearing them sing.

"Oh, you came back just in time to hear us sing," Bastian announced.

Brigitta held up a piece of paper to show Maria. "Look Fraulein Maria – I mean Mother,"

There was the tiniest of pauses as Georg saw Maria look up at him, the awe on her face growing as Brigitta's words sunk in. He simply smiled and gave her a wink. She _was_ their mother, just as much as Agathe had been.

The girl continued: "We're going to sing in the festival tonight."

"What?"

Georg immediately took the program from his daughter's hands. When he turned to look at his friend, Max's expression was one of silent guilt, mixed with triumph.

"Surprise, surprise," he finally replied.

After shooing the children off to the terrace, where Frau Schmidt and Franz had left the presents, Georg shot Max a look. "We'll talk about this inside."

"Georg I would've told you, but you were away," the impresario insisted as they followed Maria through the door. "I had to make a last minute decision. I was fortunate to enter them at all. They'll be the talk of the festival. Imagine, eight children in one family."

Eight children in one family. In a country where the ruling family for three hundred years had, at one point, double that.

A country that no longer existed.

"Max..." he folded the program and stuck it in his friend's breast pocket; a definitive refusal. "Max. Somehow, I recall having made it quite clear to you how I feel about my family singing in public."

"But the committee heard them," he protested. "They were enchanted."

"Oh Max, what did they say?" interjected Maria.

"I have never heard such enthusiasm," answered Max.

"Oh darling, don't you think just this once?" she begged. They had admitted it to the children not five minutes ago; they had missed their singing. Maria would love to hear them again. And surely, if they made people happy…

"Absolutely out of the question."

That was the answer she'd expected.

"Georg," Max said cautiously. "This is for Austria."

"For Austria?" Georg snorted. "There is no Austria."

"But the Anschluss happened peacefully," Max continued to protest. "Let's at least be grateful for that."

"Grateful?" Georg rounded on his friend. "You know Max, sometimes I don't believe I know you."

Liesl interrupted the conversation when she rushed into the room from the terrace. Her pace slowed as she approached the three adults.

"Father, I forgot," she said quietly. "This is for you."

She held out a piece of paper – quite obviously a telegram – to Georg. He took it and, after looking at it for all of a moment, turned on his heel and walked off, heading to his study.

"Maria…," Max turned from Georg's retreating figure. "He's got to at least pretend to work with these people. You must convince him."

"Max," she sighed. "I can't ask him to be less than he is."

She wouldn't ask such things of her husband; couldn't ask such things. Georg had stronger ideals than anyone she'd ever known. Aristocrats did not sing. The children performing for his friends at a party was one thing. Performing in front of strangers in a big concert hall was another thing altogether.

Max had come to mean a great deal to her, but as much as she loved his idea, Georg's request was not unreasonable, and she had to side with him. He was her husband, and this was their family.

"Then I'll talk to him," Max nodded resolutely. "If the children don't sing at the festival, well, it'll be a reflection on Austria," he sighed. "I know, it wouldn't do me any good either."

* * *

As Max walked off, Maria caught Liesl looking at her. She knew there was something the girl wanted to talk to her about, so arm-in-arm they walked towards the parlour.

"Mother, you love Father very much," smiled Liesl. "I can tell you do."

"Very much," Maria confirmed. She loved hearing the children call her 'Mother'.

"But how could you tell?" the young woman asked. "What if you stop loving someone?"

She paused at the door, her head bowed and her eyes downcast.

"…or he stops loving you?" she whispered.

Maria knew she was talking about Rolfe Gruber. She'd been having a sweet, innocent romance with the telegram delivery boy for over a year. On Maria's first night as governess, Liesl had slipped out to meet him, and had ended up climbing the trellis outside her window to avoid detection.

They sat down on the sofa and Liesl told her what happened in town that day: Rolfe had given her the telegram and, not in so many words, had made it clear that their relationship was over. There were tears in her eyes as she tried to turn away. Maria wouldn't let her though, and drew her daughter into her arms.

"Liesl," she said sharply, but not unkindly. "It's perfectly alright to cry."

"It is?" asked Liesl, lifting her face to look at her mother with a tear-stained face, looking almost ashamed that she'd been crying like she was Gretl's age, rather than almost a woman.

"Yes," Maria assured her. She had cried many times over the many losses earlier in her life. Crying was just a part of life, and losing love was no different from any other loss. It was no surprise that Liesl was now doubting everything she had experienced with Rolfe.

"Cry a little, and then wait for the sun to come out."

"It always does," she added at the teenager's skeptical look. Before that beautiful afternoon in Vienna she had spent much time questioning her relationship with Georg and agonising over her feelings for him.

"But sometimes I feel like the world is coming to an end," sighed Liesl.

"And then you feel it's just beginning?"

Liesl nodded.

"It was that way with me Liesl," Maria reassured her. "And for you it will be just as wonderful, I promise."

"Do you really think so?" she sounded brighter already.

"Yes," she clasped Liesl's hand in her own. "A bell is no bell 'til you ring it…"

* * *

The moment between mother and daughter ended when Georg appeared at the doorway. He cocked his head at Liesl who, feeling much better, exited, leaving him alone with his wife.

"What is it?" Maria asked, walking over to him. She saw he was still holding the telegram. She could already feel the sense of foreboding.

"Berlin," he announced. His voice showed none of the fury she knew he must be feeling. "I've been offered a commission in their Navy. I've requested to –"

But he was interrupted as Max entered the room.

"Georg," he said, his face ashen. "The Gauleiter's here."

* * *

 **The asterisked line at the beginning of the second section is paraphrased from Markus Zusak's _The Book Thief_. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.**


	27. (XXVI) Reality

"Stay here," Georg told Maria. He held up his hand before taking a step towards the foyer.

"I'll come with you," she insisted, reaching out for his arm, stopping him.

"No."

"I'm coming with you." Maria left no room for argument.

As she had said to Max, she could not ask Georg to be less than what he was. Whether it was the Nazis, the festival, or something else, she was going to stand by her husband come hell or high water. What sort of wife would she be if she didn't?

Georg gave an almost imperceptible nod and walked out into the foyer; Maria and Max following close behind. Max, thank goodness, had pulled the flag down from the mezzanine, so it was nowhere to be seen. But Georg knew they were far from being out of the woods.

Herr Zeller was standing in the foyer, scowling.

"Captain," he turned around and greeted Georg brusquely. He still looked displeased; Georg felt sure that scowl was permanently etched into his face.

"Herr Zeller," Georg replied, his voice equally cold.

"May I present my wife," he added. "Baroness von Trapp."

Maria moved forward to stand by Georg's side. She really did hate being called 'Baroness'. Earlier, when Georg had carried her over the threshold, she hadn't even noticed; there had been so much going on.

But she knew, now more than ever, it was necessary. Since her marriage to Georg she had changed. And right now, she needed to be the Baroness.

When Zeller bent over and kissed her hand she had to resist from recoiling. She would rather be called nothing _but_ Baroness for the rest of her life than have this man touch her again. She was still taken aback that _he_ was the Gauleiter.

"You were sent a telegram which you did not answer," snarled Herr Zeller, his attention back on Georg. "From Admiral von Schreiber of the Navy of the Third Reich."

"Herr Zeller," Georg tried to bite back his anger, but he knew it was still audible. "I was under the impression that the contents of telegrams are private. At least in the Austria I know."

Herr Zeller looked like he'd just noticed a particular foul smell. Everyone knew he was about to launch into some monologue about how nothing in Austria had changed. That seemed to be the message he had been touting since the Anschluss.

"Regardless, I've had no time to reply," continued Georg. "I've only been home half an hour."

"Well, I'm here now," Zeller said coolly; his eyes gleaming with triumph. He'd backed Georg into a corner, and both men knew it. "So you can reply to me directly. And then I can carry out my orders; taking you personally to the Naval base at Bremerhaven tonight."

"Tonight? We can't possibly do that," Maria gasped, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. That Zeller couldn't see the plan forming in her head.

That Georg could.

"No," Georg shook his head. "All of us – the entire family – will be singing in the festival tonight. We couldn't possibly let them down."

"And you ask me to believe that you – Captain von Trapp – will be singing in a concert?"

"Like you Herr Zeller," Georg replied dryly. "I too am a man of…hidden talents."

Zeller still looked unconvinced. But before he could say anything more, Max stepped forward and handed him the program.

"Here, see," he announced. "The von Trapp Family Singers."

Maria inhaled. She was thankful that both Georg and Max had understood what she had been trying to do when she had spoken to Zeller, but this was bigger than the singing group. Bigger even than the Nazis. They were gambling their lives.

She had known it from the very beginning. Georg couldn't work with these people. He couldn't even pretend. She didn't want him to do that; compromise his principles just for an easy way out. And just like the festival, she would stand with him. They both wanted what was best for their family; and in this situation, he knew the most. He needed to take charge.

She watched as Zeller scanned the paper in his hands. His mouth twitched for a moment, but he didn't say anything; he merely scrunched up the program and threw it on the floor.

"Very well," he said, gritting his teeth. "It is only a matter of a few hours, and a slight delay in my orders will not be serious."

Georg knew Zeller, in the hopes of making this endeavour as smooth as possible, was only pretending to work with them. Just as Max had suggested he do.

"But after the festival, Captain," continued Zeller. "You will come with me to Bremerhaven. Understood?"

"Understood."

* * *

The moment Zeller left, Georg returned to his study. Maria was walking up the stairs so quickly she didn't see what Max was doing. She saw her eldest daughter as she reached the landing.

"Mother," the teenager asked. "What's happening?"

"Liesl, will you find the others?" Maria didn't have time to divulge right now. She'd be explaining it to all of them in a minute. Thankfully, Liesl understood the severity of the situation, and merely nodded.

"We'll be in the nursery," she informed her.

Maria nodded in response, and waited a moment, before making her way to the nursery. In addition to wanting all the children together before she talked to them, she needed to compose herself.

This might be the hardest thing she'd done with the children yet.

* * *

It hadn't taken long to explain to the children what was happening. They were understandably very shocked, but they seemed to understand that this was very important. Even the little ones; for which Maria was incredibly grateful.

After she had made sure they were packing and getting ready, Maria slipped away to Georg's study. He was bent over at his desk, raking his hands furiously through his hair. He didn't seem to notice she was there.

"What do you want me to do?" She knew he wasn't alright; far from it. When looked up at her, his eyes were desperate, pleading even.

"Please Maria," his voice was barely a whisper. "Help me."

Maria had never before seen her Captain as vulnerable as he was right now. Not even when they first heard about the Anschluss back in Paris. He'd never asked her for help. He never asked anyone for help.

But she knew that now he needed it. _They_ needed it. Their lives would be on the line as soon as they left. The journey ahead was not only perilous; it would lead them into the unknown.

To get through it, they would all need to help each other.

"I'm right here," she assured him. "And we will get through this. All of us. Together."

Like Georg, she wished things could've been different. But it was too late now, and they all needed to take care of each other. She knew it would be hard, brutal even, but she didn't mind at all. They were doing the right thing.

"I don't pretend to know the challenges we're facing," she continued. "But I'm not afraid. I know who I married."

"Thank you Maria," he walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He inhaled deeply and let out a long breath. "We'll need to be careful," he told her. "Zeller won't let us get away just like that."

* * *

And he didn't.

They had pushed the car all the way from the garage out to the road, and had just opened the doors when the beams of headlights momentarily blinded them.

"Off to the festival I suppose, are we Captain?"

Zeller stood there, smirking. He was surrounded by other Nazi men; no doubt bodyguards. And they were deer literally caught in the headlights.

He was baiting them. Everyone present – including the children – knew that their attempt to escape had been thwarted.

"Yes, yes of course," answered Georg, his voice wavering slightly. "We were just leaving for that now."

Zeller's eyebrow rose in disbelief. "I realised I never received an answer from you Captain," he sneered in response.

"I believe I made it clear that I understood what you said earlier," Georg shot back scathingly. "If you're going to take me to Bremerhaven tonight, naturally I will be accepting the commission."

Zeller looked skeptical, but didn't say anything. Georg dearly hoped Zeller wouldn't call his bluff.

"Herr Zeller," Maria spoke up. "If we continue to stand around talking, we'll be late. And this night air isn't good for the children's voices."

"Very well," it was clear that, even now, Zeller didn't trust them. "It will be my privilege to come to the concert," his voice was dripping with derision. "Now, if you will all get into the car, we will escort you to the festival."

"That won't be necessary," insisted Georg.

"Maybe not," challenged Zeller. "But we would not want you to get lost in the crowd.

Would we?"

"No," Georg replied just as mockingly, his voice soft as he made a split-second decision.

They were backed up against the wall. They would have to sing. Now the festival couldn't simply be their cover; it needed to become part of their escape plan. But Georg was more than willing to concede and let his family sing in public just this once; if it would get them all to safety.

Quickly, Maria and Max bundled the children into the car. Before he hopped into the driver's seat, Georg glanced over at his wife. She looked apprehensive. Wordlessly, Georg tried to tell her it would work; that they would get away safely.

It must have worked, because Maria gave him the smallest of smiles – a smile that told him she trusted him with all her heart – before she slipped inside the car.


	28. (XXVII) An Emotional Encore

Maria couldn't see the audience from where she stood on the stage; they were just one big dark assemblage, but it made it easier for her to concentrate on the song; not to think about what would happen – what they had to do – next. If they didn't get through this then everything else was irrelevant.

"A-B-C-D-E-F-G" the children chorused. "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti"

With the song all but over, Maria stole a look at Georg and they shared a smile. With that boost of confidence, she looked back over the crowd, and along with her family, finished the song:

"Tea with jam and bread. With jam, with jam and bread."

They took their bows as the audience clapped. By the time Maria looked back up, Max was handing a guitar to Georg, who was standing at the microphone.

"My fellow…Austrians," he began.

Maria got more emotional with every word her husband spoke. Not seeing them again. A love song. Knowing they shared the love…

He'd only ever been that open around her. Every time she saw him vulnerable, he let his guard down more than before. But this was more than any moment before. She wouldn't have imagined he would be this fragile in front of hundreds of people.

"I pray that you will never let it die."

* * *

"Edelweiss, edelweiss," Georg began softly, strumming the guitar. "Every morning you greet me…"

He found himself on autopilot; his mouth was singing, but he couldn't hear the words. His family was waiting in the wings, so the only thing keeping him grounded was the instrument in his hands.

"…bless my homeland forever."

Singing those words brought Georg back to his senses. It was over. Austria was gone, and there was no way of knowing if she would ever return; or what it would be like when that time came.

Was there even a homeland to bless anymore?

He tried to begin the next verse, but a lump appeared in his throat, and it was only when he felt his wife loop her arm through his that he continued.

Before he knew it, his children had joined them, singing the folk song along with them; and after a gesture to the crowd, the whole concert hall was doing the same.

If he had to leave, he would make it known how much he loved his country, before he did so.

This was his farewell.

* * *

Max came up to them when the auditorium went quiet.

"I think it'll work," he whispered. "I shall miss all of you."

Georg gave his closest friend the tiniest of smiles. He was so grateful Max was helping them. When push came to shove, Maximilian Detweiller would put all thoughts of money aside to help the people he loved.

He would miss him.

"I shall miss the money I could've made with you," he chuckled. Even now Georg couldn't stop himself from smiling.

He would miss that too.

The spotlight followed Max as he walked back to the microphone. He announced the end of the competition with his usual dry humour.

"And while the judges are arriving at their decision, I have been given permission to offer you an encore," he continued. "This will be the last opportunity the von Trapps will have of singing together for a long, long time."

Singing together. Georg had no doubt that Maria would be singing any chance they got during, or even because of, this perilous endeavour, and the children would join her. This was the last time they would sing in _public_ , and Georg was more than happy about that.

Max carried on; about Georg's upcoming command with the Nazis; a subject that neither he nor Maria cared to listen to. But he knew it needed to be said. It could raise some eyebrows if it wasn't.

"And so, ladies and gentlemen, the Family von Trapp again, to bid you farewell," Max blew them a kiss as the light shifted back to them.

Georg took his place beside his wife, with the children hidden behind them. He knew what she would sing before she opened her mouth.

"There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall, and the bells in the steeple too…"

How fitting.

Georg continued, thanking his innate excellent memory. He'd only heard this song the night the children sang at the party.

The children caught on immediately to what their parents were doing, popping out from behind just as they had during their routine at the party.

They lined up, very similar to the day Maria had arrived, and yet at the same time completely different. There was no real rhyme or reason for their placement, and despite the imminent arrival of the hardest journey of their lives, they were smiling.

These were not shipmates, leaving their posts. These were children, saying goodbye.

Marta and Liesl began, and, their hands clasped together, announced to the audience they hated to go and miss this pretty sight, before scurrying offstage.

Following that, the boys stepped forward, bowing in tandem to the audience as, one after another, each of them said 'Adieu'; after which they exited in much the same manner as their sisters had.

Brigitta and Louisa danced and flitted around, as the words they sang suggested; almost dancing offstage themselves.

Gretl, now alone, waved and curtsied at the crowd before repeating the line she had sung at the party. Georg barely had time to pat her head as Maria ushered the five year old off in the direction of her brothers and sisters as she sung her final note.

Left alone with Maria, Georg watched as she bid the audience farewell: "Goodbye."

He reciprocated, with a 'goodbye' of his own; and then, holding each other tightly, they both sung a farewell to a life they would never live, in a country that was no longer theirs.

"Goodbye!"

* * *

After the clapping died out, Max received the envelope from the judges. If he was lucky…

No. As much as he wanted to believe they wouldn't have made the top three, he knew that wasn't the case. Despite his biased opinion, Max knew they were the most talented people to perform tonight. No one could compete with a singing group all in one family.

And sure enough, there on the paper inside, listed as the winners were the von Trapp Family Singers. With a sigh, he turned to address the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have here the decision of our distinguished judges," he declared. "We will start with the award for third prize."

He looked down at the paper before continuing: "For this honour, the judges have named…"

'Oh help!' he thought, "…the first soloist of the Choir of Saint Agathe's Church in Murbach."

Fraulein Schweiger could sing, but she was so enthusiastic it was cloying and somewhat infuriating. The woman was bowing as soon as she came out of the tunnel, and wouldn't stop; not even after she'd been given her bouquet and received her applause.

Sixteen bows! Was she buying them time? Did she know? At any other time Max would've found this irritating. But now he was actually grateful.

Eventually though, he had to hurry her offstage. Georg and Maria and the children needed all the time they could get, but he couldn't stall anything for too long, lest it arouse suspicion.

He announced the second place winners, and the five runner-ups walked out, and then exited as soon as flowers and handshakes had been exchanged.

"And first prize," he tried to hide his sigh. "The highest musical honour in all Austria…to the von Trapp Family Singers!"

No one appeared as the crowd cheered and clapped, just as Max had expected, but he couldn't let that show. Like before, he couldn't leave it too long, though Heaven knows if ever they needed time, it was now. So, he called out again, and the applause came, only to die out faster than before.

Then a Nazi soldier ran into the auditorium a moment later and shouted:

"They're gone!"

* * *

 **Hello, I'm back. Sorry this took so long - writer's block. The "A-B-C-D-E-F-G Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti" is taken from ITV's Sound of Music Live. I haven't heard it anywhere else, and I really love it, so...  
Hope you enjoyed. Thank you all so much for the reading and reviewing. It means so much to me.**


	29. (XXVIII) Farewell Forever

"Oh, Reverend Mother. We didn't realise we'd put the Abbey in this danger," Maria apologised as everyone followed the elderly nun through the Abbey's cemetery.

They'd left for the Abbey as soon as they were out of the festival hall, and had been there only a few moments before the Reverend Mother had led them away to hide. Maria had faintly heard her tell Sister Berthe to answer the call at the gate slowly. And there was only one explanation for that.

The Nazis had already found them.

Maria wasn't surprised though. The church had always been a sanctuary, and there had been enough rumours going around while she and Georg were engaged that the Nazis would know she'd been a postulant.

"No Maria," the Reverend Mother assured her. "It was right for you to come here."

As the Reverend Mother opened a gate, so they could hide in a more concealed part of the cemetery, Maria vaguely heard Georg asking about borrowing the caretaker's car. With Zeller having trailed them as they drove to the auditorium, the Nazis would know exactly what car to look out for, if they hadn't already.

The Reverend Mother replied with the solemn news that the car wouldn't help them now; the borders were closed.

"Alright, the borders are closed," Georg decided, ushering Maria and the children through the gate. "Then we'll drive up into the hills, and go over those mountains on foot."

"…the children," Maria couldn't stop herself from gasping.

"We'll help them," he told her firmly. "They'll be alright."

"We can do it without help, Father," insisted Friedrich.

Maria felt her heart swell. She was so very proud of Friedrich – proud to call him her son – and she knew Georg felt the same way.

The Reverend Mother spoke, causing Maria to turn back to her.

"Maria," she assured her. "You will not be alone."

She quoted a passage from Psalm 121, and Maria's heart swelled again. It was so perfect for her, and exactly what she needed to hear right now.

"Yes, Mother," she whispered back.

She reached out and gave the older woman – her mother in every sense of the word – a hug. She would forever be grateful of what this woman had done for her. Maria knew if she hadn't insisted she leave the convent in the first place it was likely she never would've found the happiness she had right now.

This might be the last time she saw this woman.

"Good luck, my daughter."

With a lump in her throat, Maria slid through the gate and crouched behind a gravestone with Gretl, Friedrich, Louisa, and Bastian.

* * *

Bastian felt Maria slip behind the gravestone more than he heard her. He was trying so hard to stay still and silent that he couldn't take in anything else.

He'd heard Marta, over behind the other gravestone whisper she was scared, and he had to admit he was too. Earlier, during the performance at the festival, it had been easier to think about something other than getting out of the country. But now that they were not simply fleeing, but hiding from the Nazis, with their lives on the line, it was suddenly very real.

He may have been four years older than his new sister, but he was just as scared as she was.

"Mother?" whispered Gretl.

"Yes?" he heard Maria whisper back.

"Would it help if we sang about our favourite things?"

"No, darling. This is one time it would not help," Maria sounded exasperated. "You must be very quiet. Hold tight to me."

She pressed a finger to Gretl's lips and drew the five year old into her arms.

Bastian would've smiled at this exchange, but he was too terrified. Gretl might be too young to understand the minute details of the current circumstances, but she knew that it was very serious. And everyone else knew that this was much worse than whatever Gretl was imagining. It was the deadliest game of hide and seek known to man.

He could tell even his cousin was afraid.

Wedged between Friedrich and Louisa, right next to Maria, who had Gretl in her arms, he tried to not even breathe, when…

A loud sound shook the cemetery, like a reverberating gong. After that, the beams of torches ran over the gravestones; once, then again. Each time the beams passed, they all drew further into the shadows. They were all stuck in such a small, cramped position that Bastian could barely see the light, but he knew that only made it more dangerous.

At last one of the Nazis said: "Come on. Let's try the roof." Everyone seemed to breathe a little easier at hearing that – and the sound of retreating footsteps. Though not much.

* * *

Able to take the smallest of peeks out from her hiding place, Liesl noticed that they were not alone, as they had thought. One Nazi was still there, out in the cemetery. Thankfully he had his back to them.

But he didn't move. He wasn't in any hurry to leave and follow the others up to the roof.

Did he know they were there?

It was hard to see in the dark, but he looked about her age. And she was proven right, when she saw him turn his head.

It was Rolfe. The boy who had broken her heart this afternoon. So that's what he'd meant earlier, when he'd given her the telegram. She couldn't help but gasp. She didn't notice the way her father looked at her.

However much she wanted to, however difficult it was to, she couldn't take her eyes off the boy.

Liesl thought it might be a blessing in disguise, because a moment later, Rolfe did walk off, disappearing out of sight. They were safe.

But she only thought that for a moment. Father moved from her side and slowly crept out from behind the headstone, toward the gate; the rest of them beginning to follow his lead. But just as he was about to open it, someone jumped out at them, momentarily blinding them with the light of a torch.

He hadn't left at all. And he had known they were there. He'd known the whole time. And for the second time that night they were caught in the headlights.

"Rolfe, please," she pleaded. But he didn't move; only raised his whistle to his lips, at the same time as her father unlocked the gate and stepped out into the main part of the cemetery.

* * *

By the time Georg was outside the gates, Rolfe had dropped the whistle from his lips, and was pointing a gun at him.

Caught, Georg motioned for his family to get out; get to the car, hide somewhere else, anything that would keep them safe. As he heard them hurry down the stairs, Rolfe confirmed his thoughts; the Nazis only wanted him. If he ran, they'd all be in trouble. But if it was just him, they were safe. For now

"Put that down," Georg told him, commanding but gentle, as he walked forward. He knew he needed to be firm with the boy, but if he was to appeal to Rolfe's emotions he couldn't be too forceful.

Not another move," Rolfe said. "Or…I'll shoot."

Georg highly doubted that. He even sounded unsure.

You're only a boy," he said. "You don't really belong to them."

Rolfe snapped at him to stay where he was, but Georg kept moving.

"Come away with us," he continued, almost coaxingly. "Before it's too late."

Georg didn't really like the idea of the boy coming with them. There were already ten of them as it was, and he doubted Rolfe would be more of a help than a hindrance. But if his offer would help them escape, it was a risk he was willing to take. And if, for whatever reason, Rolfe did decide to come with them, Georg would work something out. It was a small price to pay for an easier getaway.

Rolfe, however, seemed unfazed.

"Not another step," he spat. "I'll kill you."

"You give that to me, Rolfe."

He was just a boy. An ignorant boy Georg didn't want having anything to do with his daughter, to be sure; but nonetheless a boy. He'd seen so many men who were barely older than Rolfe die in the war as they fought, eager to fight for their country.

Like those men, he had no idea what he'd signed up for.

"Did you hear me?" Rolfe sounded desperate, his voice wavering. "I'll kill you."

Despite his threat, Georg knew Rolfe wouldn't pull the trigger. The Nazis wanted every person they could get on their side – and had succeeded in a lot of ways – but if he died right now by Rolfe's hand, the boy would be severely punished, or even dismissed. Georg knew this boy was disposable; a lackey. The Nazis wanted him, there was no doubt about that. But they wanted him to serve. They wanted him alive.

They needed him alive.

"Rolfe."

They were now close enough that Georg could easily take the gun from the boy's hand. Now he had the upper hand, and feeling a surge of power, relaxed enough to continue with a scathing comment:

"You'll never be one of them."

He regretted it almost immediately. Not because it wasn't the truth, but because he didn't want to antagonise the boy. But he would also do whatever it took to keep his family safe.

He'd just had a moment of weakness. Feelings that had been bottled up for quite some time had, finally, just slipped out.

"Lieutenant! They're here," shouted Rolfe. "They're here, lieutenant!"

Georg took the smallest of glances back. Rolfe had run the other way, no doubt heading off to find his superiors. Another wrong decision. He was practically gift-wrapping their escape.

No, this boy would never be one of them.

Seizing the brief moment alone, Georg flew down the stairs. Maria and the children were huddled in the caretaker's car nearby.

They were off the second Georg had closed the door.

* * *

Dawn came, bringing a clear, sunny day, as the von Trapps climbed their way over the mountains; heading for an unknown, but hopefully bright, future. Maria smiled as her cousin glanced back and caught her eye. Bastian was where it had all started, and now, he was here where it all ended; on a mountain, headed for the unknown.

But not alone, like they had been in the very beginning. Neither of them knew what the future held for them. They didn't know where they were going, or what it would be like when they got there. But they did know one thing:

They had both found their family.

* * *

 **Georg's thoughts during the later part were helped by a discussion on our forum, which in turn was inspired by a passage in _P.S. I Still Love You_ by Jenny Han.**

 **There will be an epilogue to wrap things up, but we are so close to the end that I'm getting really emotional. So although there is one more part to come, if you've stuck around this long: THANK YOU!**


	30. The Chapter After the Last

January 1943

It was four in the morning and Maria couldn't sleep. Pregnant with her second child, and due any day now, she hadn't slept well for quite some time. She was very grateful she was not on bed rest, as she had been when she was pregnant with Rosemarie. But she knew she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, so she got out of bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.

She had recently received a letter from Natascha, who was also pregnant, with her third child. She had told Maria that she and Peter were hoping for a girl. After two boys, they wanted Rupert and Tobias to have a little sister. She'd heard about her friend's sons many times, but had never actually met them. She hadn't seen Natascha since the wedding.

Maria sighed as she sipped her tea and thought back over all that had transpired since then.

They had been in America for just over four years. Six months or so after their arrival they had found their way to the state of Vermont. It reminded them all so much of Austria that they couldn't help being enchanted, and by the end of the year they had purchased a lodge in Stowe, where they lived to this day.

In addition to maintaining the upkeep of the lodge, Georg was helping the American Navy, supervising blueprints and designs for new submarines. His experiences made him the perfect candidate to help make U-Boats safer than they'd ever been; especially now, during the war. He would sometimes be gone for several days at a time, but everyone knew that his life would never be in danger; he had staunchly refused to anything more than oversee the plans.

Maria spent most of her time heading the relief fund they had started with their friends and some other people in Stowe; sending supplies over to Europe to help those in need. It was certainly not easy in the middle of war, but she and Georg were adamant about helping Austria in any way they could.

They had also started a music camp the year before. People had come from all over Vermont to the lodge for an entire week of music. Maria had given some guitar lessons and the children taught singing, just like she had done with them all those years ago. By the end of the week all the campers knew some traditional Austrian folk songs. _Edelweiss_ had been particularly popular. It had been such a success that they had decided to try and turn it into an annual event.

The children had adjusted well to life in America; embracing the culture and day-to-day life of their new homeland without completely losing their Austrian heritage. Nowhere was that more evident than with Liesl, who was engaged to, of all people, a young man from Innsbruck. Sigi and his brother had fled Austria around the same time they had. By sheer coincidence they had met at the market one day. From there, one thing led to another, and now they were planning their future together.

Friedrich was off in Italy serving as a ski trooper. Everyone was worried about him, and prayed he would return safe and sound as soon as possible. In addition to being so far away from home, he was so young; having turned nineteen only a couple of months ago, while he was still away in Mount Belvedere. But despite their dread, everyone was so proud of him.

Louisa was a month shy of eighteen, and diligently assisted her parents with the relief fund; knitting socks and mittens, or collecting canned food to be sent over to Europe. She had also been the one to take care of the cooking during the week of the camp.

Kurt and Brigitta were still at school. They were desperate to help around the house, but both Maria and Georg had assured them the best thing they could do right now was to focus on their studies. Brigitta was mastering her academics; her teachers believed she had a great chance of receiving a scholarship for university after she graduated in three years time.

Kurt was finding his success outside the classroom. Helping around the lodge had made him good with his hands, and he often helped with repairs at the school. Discovering how much he loved this, he was hoping to get apprenticeship with a carpenter or someone similar in the coming years.

Marta and Gretl had been the easiest of the children to adapt to their life in the America. A year after they'd arrived it was as if they had been there their whole lives. They had fewer memories of Austria than their siblings. While Maria and Georg found that somewhat disheartening, they could see that it had helped their daughters in this new life they had all made for themselves.

No longer the 'little ones', they could do most everything their siblings did to help at home, but were more often happy to be tasked with looking after their youngest sister.

Rosemarie…

Maria adored all her other children – for they were her children – but Rosemarie was special. Even four years later, she still marvelled at the fact that her body had created this child; that she had been born out of the love she and Georg shared. Maria knew her husband felt the same, and she imagined it was much the same way his love for Agathe differed from his love for her. No less, and just as special. But in a different way.

The children had welcomed her into the family as quickly as they had Bastian the year prior. And now at age four, she was old enough to no longer be a baby, but still young enough to be innocent about many of the details of the war.

Maria was sad that that would end soon.

And then there was Bastian. Her cousin had grown into a fine young man. He was doing very well academically, was always ready to help around at home, and even had a steady courtship with a young girl; much to Georg's horror. He had been working at the general store enough to earn a decent amount of money, and was planning on taking Suzy out to the theatre next week for her birthday; to see some musical called _Oklahoma!_ Georg insisted such things were undue given the war, but Maria thought that was exactly why they were necessary.

* * *

She was roused from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps, and looked up to see Bastian enter the kitchen.

"Hello," she yawned. "How are you?"

Bastian nodded noncommittally. He put the kettle on the stove to make himself a drink.

"Can't sleep either?"

He nodded again. Maria knew there was something on his mind. He had always been introverted and somewhat shy, but she'd never seen him _this_ quiet. Or awake this early.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Maria…" he fumbled. "You love Father so much…"

So it was about Suzy.

"I was wondering…well, how can you be sure?"

"Well…" she mused. "I don't think first of myself; I think first of him."

Bastian sat down opposite her, but he didn't speak.

"Don't worry now," she assured him. "Love doesn't just happen. It takes time and, often it happens when you don't expect it. It's not something you can plan."

She sighed. "You weren't there in the beginning, but Georg and I were not friends when I first arrived."

She couldn't have fathomed being married to Georg the day she'd first met him; back when he was Captain von Trapp, and she was a governess subjected to the pranks of seven mischievous children.

But then things changed, and she'd fallen deeply in love with them, and their father, and her cousin. Love wasn't always what Maria shared with Georg or what Bastian hoped to have with Suzy. It took on many different forms.

She reached out and took Bastian's hands in hers.

"Love is not always beautiful, not at the start," she whispered with a smile. It was a message similar to that she'd passed on to Liesl the day they'd had to flee.

"But how do you know then?"

How did she know? Love was something that couldn't be put into words. It was just something you knew; when you cared about somebody so much that they changed you as a person, after which nothing was quite the same.

"You look with your heart," she told him. "Not with your eyes."

* * *

 **This story has been my passion project for the better part of the last two years - since January 2017, and I'm honestly devastated that it's over; that I have to say goodbye to this world and these characters. I never thought I would love Bastian as much as I do.**

 **I have to give a special shout out to Sara K M, for her assistance with certain parts, but if you've read this story, the only words I can say are thank you. I have never been more invested or proud of any story I've ever written, so I'm so happy that you liked it too.**

 **The von Trapps really did start a relief fund, and a music camp after they arrived in America, and the boys did serve at Mount Belvedere, so I wanted to include those things.**

 **Friedrich does come back home, and I plan to write a story in the future about Liesl and Sigi.**


End file.
